DEVON County Council (DCC) are asking parents with children in mainstream education, special schools and college to share their children’s experience of going to school.

A spokesman for DCC said: ‘We all know how important school is for helping young people to learn, socialise, develop, aspire, and achieve.

‘That’s why attending school is important, and why schools monitor attendance to make sure that pupils aren’t missing out.

‘Sometimes though, for some children and young people, attending school is difficult for many different reasons. 

‘In Devon, more than one in every three secondary school pupil is persistently absent from school.

‘That means they’re missing at least one day a fortnight of school.

‘The absence figure for pupils with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities is higher still.

‘We want to provide individuals and families who are struggling with school attendance with information and advice that can help them.’

To help DCC gather that information, it is asking parents with children in mainstream, special schools, college (post 16) or other educational settings, to tell them their experiences of going to school.

‘Our Educational Psychologists are bringing together a range of information and advice for parents and carers, young people, and schools, to help individuals and families who are struggling with school attendance’ the spokesman went on to say.

‘Understanding more about what parents, carers and young people think about their school attendance, and what support they need to overcome any barriers to going to school or college, will help to shape the offer of support moving forwards.

‘Please take a little time to complete this short survey and include as much or as little information as you would like.

‘This is research that we would like to continually ask for feedback on, but in order for our Educational Psychologists to develop their offer to parents, carers, young people and schools for September, we would like to hear your views by the Friday 19 July, if possible.’