Global think tank warns children of pandemic need to stay in school until age 18

Children should be made to stay in school until they are 18 to make up for Covid absenteeism, a report by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development suggests.

The OECD published the report on Wednesday, analysing the global post-pandemic rise in pupil absenteeism.

It found that the pandemic “posed significant challenges to education systems and students worldwide”, and that in the wake of the pandemic and various lockdowns there was “a pressing need to assess the effectiveness” of measures put in place to address these challenges.

Data from the Department for Education (DfE) show more than one in five children in England is persistently absent from school, meaning they miss more than 10 per cent of school days. This figure has doubled since the pandemic.

Ideas for how to tackle the rise in pupil absenteeism include extending the compulsory education age. This would mean children staying in school until they were 18.

The OECD said: “This approach posits that prolonging the duration of schooling heightens the probability of eventual attainment of a higher secondary diploma. Empirical evidence underscores the impact of compulsory education policies on students’ educational attainment.”

The report said this would lead to further “positive effects among higher-achieving students, with a more conspicuous impact observed among female students”.

Since the pandemic Luxembourg and Romania have adopted this policy.

England singled out

The Luxembourg parliament approved a bill in July 2023 to extend compulsory schooling from 16 to 18 years. This will come into force at the start of the 2026/2027 academic year

In Romania the change came into effect in the 2021/2022 school year as part of a gradual increase of compulsory education. This now includes the last two years of upper secondary education and the last year of preschool education. From 2024/2025 it will also include the second year of pre-school education.

However, the report singled out England specifically for its “comprehensive” strategy for tackling school absenteeism, particularly statutory guidance published earlier in 2024 by the DfE that banned children from attending protests during school hours.

It also noted England’s use of “attendance advisers” in schools and local authorities and a national communications campaign which aims to prevent children taking “preventable odd days of absence” over mild illness or anxiety.

Attendance in England is also significantly higher than in the devolved nations, with pupils in England attending school on average 4.5 days more than those in Scotland and nearly eight days more than in Wales.

In accordance with DfE guidelines, young people can leave school if they turn 16 by the end of the summer holidays.

However, they must then either stay in full-time education, for example at a college, start an apprenticeship or spend 20 hours or more a week working or volunteering, while in part-time education or training, until the age of 18.

Fewer pupils persistently absent

According to DfE figures, in the past year 440,000 fewer pupils were persistently absent or not attending than in the previous one.

Responding to the OECD findings, Gillian Keegan, the Education Secretary, said: “All children deserve the best start in life and attending school goes to the heart of that. It is fundamental to a child’s wellbeing, development and attainment. That’s why attendance is my number one priority.

“As the OECD makes clear, absenteeism is a global challenge caused by the pandemic, and from New Zealand to Norway a host of countries are grappling with this issue.

“England is leading the world in our approach to helping children to return to school. I am hugely proud of all our brilliant teachers and school leaders who have worked with us to get more children back in the classroom. Our plan is working and our approach has been recognised by the OECD who described it as a ‘comprehensive strategy to fight school absences’.”

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner for England, said: “Today’s report demonstrates that the school absence crisis is a global issue, and there are many lessons to learn from our international counterparts.

“I am delighted that England is leading the way in implementing effective strategies but it is clear that challenges still remain.”