Three-quarters of parents let children miss school for ‘duvet day’
Three-quarters of parents allow their children to stay home and have a “duvet day” if they don’t want to go to school, according to a new survey.
Of the 2,000 parents surveyed, 75 percent said they let their children miss school when they feel tired, emotional or unable to go to school. Forty percent of survey respondents said they let “duvet days” happen more than once.
On average, parents reported giving their children six days off last school year for these reasons, with 75 percent of parents reporting that their children’s behavior improved after such absences. Ninety-seven percent of parents surveyed said they believe their child’s mental health is as important as academic success.
The survey, conducted by Perspectus on behalf of education event Bett, examines changing attitudes among parents to school attendance. It emerged that 32 percent are more comfortable with this than they were five years ago, and 54 percent of parents say working from home has contributed to this change.
Additionally, almost three in five parents said they had taken their children out of school for the semester break.
Aside from holidays and emotional well-being, the most common reasons given for school absence among survey respondents were family visits (43 percent), day trips (33 percent) and sporting events (16 percent).
While 11 percent of parents had picked up their children from school to go to the cinema, 7 percent had picked up their children from school for a hairdresser’s appointment.
The report on the survey said: “More worrying is that a significant minority of parents (more than one in 20) allowed absences for something as routine as getting a haircut, suggesting that some families view school as optional when it conflicts with any other activity.”
The more a child is absent from school, the more likely they are to experience mental health problems, with the effect accelerating with the level of absence, according to latest research from the Office for National Statistics.
The Bett survey report concluded that its findings reflected “deeper questions about what education should look like in the 21st century.”
“Parents are increasingly prioritizing their children’s emotional well-being and are willing to allow absences if they believe it is in their child’s best interests,” the report said.
“This shift challenges traditional assumptions about the non-controversial nature of school attendance. The path forward requires acknowledging these changing attitudes while also helping families understand the long-term consequences of lack of education.”
“Technology can support this effort by making learning more engaging and maintaining connections when students face barriers to engagement.
“But the key solution lies in creating educational environments where children truly want to be. This means not only addressing the symptoms of absenteeism, but also the underlying reasons why students and families choose absence over presence.”
In response to the survey’s findings, a Department for Education spokesperson said: Independent: “Through our Plan for Change, we are taking action to get more young people back into classrooms and delivered the biggest increase in attendance in the last academic year.
“Last academic year saw the biggest increase in attendance in a decade, with 140,000 fewer children being chronically absent and 5 million more days spent in class.
“As well as encouraging schools to take a ‘support first’ approach for children facing barriers to school attendance, we are also expanding access to mental health support teams, ensuring all children can access help at the right time and are supported to succeed and thrive.”
