Chris Parker calls for an emphasis on the whole child rather than exams and rigid learning, and Simon Gibbs asks whether pupils have lost faith in the system
As a retired child psychotherapist, I am only too aware of the impact of mental health issues on school attendance. I was, however, surprised at the emphasis placed on this in your article (Record numbers of pupils in England absent for long periods, DfE data shows, 21 March). It was correct to point out the link between qualifying for free school meals and non-attendance, but both the general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders and the shadow schools minister placed an emphasis on mental health as being a key in reducing absences.
What was not mentioned was the impact on attendance of the national curriculum and other school pressures. For a number of children, the curriculum is unsuited to their needs and they see it as meaningless. Prior to training as a child psychotherapist, I was a teacher and was very aware of the number of children who stopped attending as they moved into years 10 and 11. The sense was that they were voting with their feet.
