What's driving the surge of children missing days at school?

Now experts are publicly warning that these shutdowns exacerbated a cascade of social and education problems that have impacted on a generation of children.

It is a troubling phenomenon that is not news to those working in the education sector.

Earlier this month, the Productivity Commission report on government services underscored this ongoing challenge.

It found average school attendance for primary and secondary school students was slightly higher in 2023 than in 2022, but that attendance remains significantly below what it was prior to COVID.

Students now miss an average of four-and-a-half weeks of school each year, compared to three weeks in 2015. That equates to missing one day of school per fortnight.

Yet it is also important to understand that not all school absences are equal.

It is one thing for parents - perhaps influenced by the COVID-inspired focus on home schooling - to pull their children out of school to go on a two-week holiday. It is very much another thing for students to not be able to attend school because of social challenges at home such as the spiralling cost of living.

In fact, research shows that increased poverty and cost-of-living pressures are among the key factors affecting school attendance, particularly for young people experiencing disadvantage. For example, increasing rents may mean that a child's family needs to move, which can make it more difficult to get to school without a longer, more expensive, trip to school.

And while declines in attendance are occurring across the board, students from disadvantaged backgrounds are even further behind, with greater impacts on their educational and future outcomes.

Previous research has urged us to focus on messages such as every day counts or that all absences contribute to achievement outcomes in the same way. The rationale for this message was that it is about missed content and learning opportunities that affect learning.

However, as Dr Kirsten Hancock highlights in her Churchill Fellowship report on student attendance, some absences matter more than others, particularly those unauthorised absences, which are shown to have stronger associations with lower achievement outcomes.

So rather than focus on attendance or chronic absenteeism rates alone, there is a strong argument that we need to understand the functional impact of different types of absences.

While one child could miss 10 days of school but have the support systems around them to catch up, for children living in disadvantage, without the same support systems, five days away from school could have a devastating impact on their learning.

This is concerning because of the flow-on effects to academic achievement and year 12 completion. Alongside declining attendance, we are seeing greater numbers of young people leaving school early, with students from lower socioeconomic backgrounds much less likely to attain a year 12 certificate compared to their more advantaged peers.

Yet nine out of 10 jobs that will be created in the next decade will require young people to finish school and undertake post-school qualifications at either TAFE or university, according to research from Melbourne's Victoria University.

The long-term declines and increase in the number of students affected show we need new ways of thinking about school attendance. This starts with recognising that absenteeism is a symptom of an issue that requires support, but not the main problem itself.

As a nation, we must do more to improve our understanding of the different and sometimes complex issues affecting attendance that students face at home and at school, and be proactive in addressing these issues as early as possible.

Under the new National School Reform Agreement, we have an opportunity to drive innovation, learning and sharing of what works to improve attendance using evidence-based approaches.

But this isn't a job for teachers and schools alone. We know from our work with 62,000 students on The Smith Family's Learning for Life program that a fundamental part of supporting young people to succeed at school is the support provided outside school.

This not only includes financial support to ensure children have what they need for their education, but personal support for families, particularly those with complex needs, to navigate challenges that could impact school attendance. More nuanced ways of using data will be key to identifying potential problems before they become entrenched.

A national rethink in our approach is needed that reflects a modern understanding of attendance issues and provides support to students and families when they need it.