Parents in Wales are keeping their children off school because they can’t afford the uniform, meals and transport, headteachers have warned. The cost of living crisis is not the main reason for stubborn low school attendance since classrooms re opened after pandemic closures, but is adding to the problem, a Senedd committee has been told.
More than a quarter of children in Wales are now eligible for free school meals with a 1% rise in the last year and one in 10 children are missing school - both up on pre pandemic levels. Headteachers have warned of the huge negative impact on young people's life chances, health and wellbeing.
Giving evidence on school absence to the Senedd’s Children Young People and Education Committee Laura Doel, Director of the National Association of Headteachers Cymru, said schools have reported parents not sending their children in because they cannot afford to. Her comments came as Education Minister Jeremy Miles said schools are not doing enough to tackle the poverty attainment gap inequality.
