Schools minister says parents should send children to school if they have a cold

The schools minister, Nick Gibb, is suggesting children should still go to school when they have a cold, to help improve attendance figures

The government's schools minister has said that children shouldn't stay off school when they have a cold.

The minister, Nick Gibb, works for the government at the Department of Education and part of his role means he is responsible for looking after attendance figures at schools.

The number of children persistently missing school in England has more than doubled since before the pandemic.

Nearly a quarter of children have been persistently absent from school during the 2022/23 Autumn term in England - that means they missed more than 10% of lessons.

To help improve attendances Mr Gibb has suggested that children should still go to school if they have a mild cold.

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Why are children missing school?

In the autumn term of 2018/19 around 11% of pupils were classed as persistently absent - which means they missed at least 10% of school.

This rose to around 24% of pupils in 2022/23 according to figures from the government.

An inquiry was launched earlier this year by the Education Committee to find out why the number of pupils missing school has increased and to look at ways to tackle the problem.

Most pupils were found to be absent from school due to illness (around 12%) - this includes Covid-19 as well as other illnesses.

There have also been concerns around pupils' mental health following the pandemic.

It's thought more parents are keeping their children at home when they're feeling anxious.

Pupils from more disadvantaged backgrounds or those with Special Educational Needs (SEN) are also more likely to be persistently absent.

What has the schools minister said?

Nick Gibb is the government's Minister of State for Schools

Mr Gibb thinks that illness is the main cause of absences.

The minister has suggested that parents should send their children to school when they have a cold to improve attendance rates.

He told MPs that parents are "more cautious" to send their children into school with a mild cold as a consequence of lockdown and the Covid-19 pandemic.

He said: "There is a higher caution amongst parents about sending their child into school if they are showing symptoms of a cold or something.

"And we're trying to emphasise the point that it is the fever that matters."

During Covid-19, parents were encouraged to keep pupils at home if they tested positive for the illness

Mr Gibb also suggested that it's easier for parents to keep their children home from school as more adults work from home.

He said: "It's actually easier for parents to allow their children to remain if they're working [from home] whereas previously there was no choice."

Speaking on mental health problems preventing children from going to school he said the use of smartphones is fuelling the problem.

He added: "It's not necessarily what they're doing with the screen — it's the fact they're not doing other things like being outside in the fresh air, meeting friends, spending time with their own parents."

Do you agree with the schools minister? Let us know in the comments below.