Campaign launches to urge Salford parents to keep kids in school

Another ‘Miss School Miss Out’ campaign will run in Salford as issues with attendance rates in the city continue. 

Salford City Council will be running the campaign to encourage parents and children to see all the benefits of being at school and the disadvantages for their present and future lives if they don’t attend.

This comes after identifying rates of overall school attendance in Salford are lower compared to national over time. For all types of settings, the attendance rates are markedly lower since the pandemic compared to beforehand.

The 2024-26 strategy has been developed over the past year to try to understand the issues with school attendance and how to overcome them.

Councillor Jim Cammell, Lead Member for Children’s and Young People’s Services, said: “Missing lessons leaves students vulnerable to falling behind, creating gaps in their learning, and diminishing their self-confidence. We want to continue to work in partnership with all agencies to achieve our ambitious goals ensure our families and our schools get the right support they need to keep daily attendance at school a priority for all.

“The aim of this strategy is to build on our existing partnership arrangements, to work together from the earliest opportunities to help parents/carers support their children to get the most from their education, secure in the knowledge that their child is understood and well supported.”

Together with schools, the council is identifying any children or young people who are not attending school, or other appropriate education, regularly. The aim is to ensure all staff know what to do to support families.

Information is being provided on clear expected interventions for schools, support from the council’s attendance team and targeted early help service support. When there are specific problems with attendance, the council and schools will work closely to support families and children.

To read the strategy and find out more about the support for families and young people visit: https://www.salford.gov.uk/schools-and-learning/info-for-parents-students-and-teachers/school-attendance-behaviour-and-welfare/miss-school-miss-out/

Image credit: Sue Kershaw, Flickr