Report: COVID has Broken Bonds of Trust Between Some Families and Schools
According to a poll, over 25% of parents think that lockdowns have shown that children do not necessarily have to be in school every day.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) think tank has reported that the “bonds of trust” between some parents and their children’s schools have been broken since the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a poll conducted by the CSJ with YouGov, over a quarter of parents (28 percent) agree with the statement that “the pandemic has shown that it is not essential for children to attend school every day.”
The CSJ also mentioned that there has been a cumulative total of 25 million school days lost to industrial action in the 2022/2023 school year, which likely did not help rectify the perception of school as optional.
The poll revealed that “a large minority” of parents do not feel they have a good relationship with their child’s school.
The report, titled “The Missing Link—Restoring the bond between schools and families,” analyzes the polling results of 1,206 parents with children aged between 5 and 16 enrolled in primary or secondary schools.
While the majority of parents (88 percent) still believe that “every single day of school matters,” the report noted that lockdowns have had some impact on parents’ attitudes towards school attendance.
The report also states that almost four in 10 parents (38 percent) said the school did not communicate with them adequately and also highlighted issues with communication for fathers of single-parent families.
Research published by the Marriage Foundation found that by the age of 14, almost half (46 percent) of UK children are not living with both natural parents.
The report recommends the government to create a National Parental Participation Strategy and includes best practice guidance for schools and parents to engage more meaningfully with each other.
It also suggested measures like a nationwide attendance mentors rollout, making Department for Education guidance on attendance statutory, and improving access to sports, youth clubs, and services.
The foreword, written by Andy Cook, CEO of the CSJ, emphasizes the need to rebuild trust between schools, parents, and the children they cherish for sustainable change. He proposed a more fundamental shift in approach to the partnership between schools and families.
