Labour’s shadow education secretary Bridget Phillipson MP today spoke at The Centre for Social Justice about The Labour Party’s plans for education, especially around tackling persistent absenteeism.

Baker Dearing Educational Trust chief executive Simon Connell has responded to the speech, saying:

“We welcome Labour’s drive to improve attendance. As Bridget Phillipson stated, low attendance levels are failing our future.

“But we cannot expect a return to pre-COVID attendance levels due to small policy tweaks. We need to reset our approach to education.

“Students must see how education can improve their life chances, no matter their background. That means a much clearer link between school and careers, with employers inputting into the curriculum and technical and creative subjects being reintroduced into mainstream schools.

“Many students at University Technical Colleges, which deliver an employer-led technical or creative curriculum, report that their attendance has improved from their last school because UTCs provide something new every day.

“We will see attendance improve when students, as decision-makers, appreciate schools are engines of opportunity that can improve their life chances.

“The Baker Dearing Educational Trust looks forward to working with Labour to tackle absenteeism, including through our innovative UTC Sleeve initiative.”