A new survey has revealed that one in three UK parents don’t think it’s essential for children to go into school everyday.
The reason for this? Well, it’s apparently all due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
According to a new YouGov public poll, which has been conducted by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) thinktank, around 28% of parents surveyed said they felt the several lockdowns throughout 2020 and 2021 proved that youngsters did not actually need to physically be in the classroom five days a week.
On top of this, apparently only 70% of parents are confident that their child’s needs are being met at school anyway, and this figure was even found to have dropped to 61% for children at secondary school.
The shocking results of the poll – which questioned 1,206 parents during December 2023, and is part of a wider report titled The Missing Link: Restoring The Bond Between Schools And Families – has led CSJ chief executive, Andy Cook, to claim there is “fundamental work” that needs to be done in order to “rebuild the contract between families and schools”.
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He also added that it proves the “bonds of trust” between the two parties have been broken for a “significant minority”.
“This is not a one-way street,” Mr Cook continued.
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New survey reveals one in three parents think children don’t need to go to school everyday / Credit: gov.uk
“Parents have legitimate expectations of schools, which the Government must help them to deliver, but as parents, we need to take responsibility for getting our kids ready for school, at school, and for keeping them engaged in school.
“Restoring the bond between parents and schools will help us to do this [but] failure to address this will be catastrophic for the future of our people, communities, and state.”
The results of the survey come as the Government unveiled plans for a major national drive aiming to improve school attendance figures nationwide yesterday.
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Improving attendance is my number one priority, so I’m glad that there are 380,000 fewer children persistently absent or not attending school than last year.
But we know we need to go further.
So today, we're taking action to improve attendance.
With tackling persistent pupil absence at the centre of the new “stronger” measures, the Government says more than one million children and young people across England will be supported into regular education thanks to the expansion of the already-existing ‘attendance hubs’.
The ‘attendance hubs’ work to provide “a range of tailored support” to families to boost time in school.
There’ll be 18 new attendance hubs across six regions, which will eventually bring the total to 32, and see nearly 2,000 schools helped to tackle regular absences.
“Tackling attendance is my number one priority,” commented Education Secretary, Gillian Keegan.
“The benefits of our success in raising education standards can only be when all children are in school… [and] we want all our children to have the best start in life, because we know that attending school is vital to a child’s wellbeing, development, and attainment as well as impact future career success.”
Featured Image – gov.uk
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Manchester Airport is hosting a big jobs fair with more than 500 roles on offer
Emily Sergeant
Hundreds of careers are set for take-off, as Manchester Airport’s annual autumn jobs fair is returning early next month.
Manchester Airports Group (MAG), which owns and operates Manchester Airport as well as East Midlands and London Stansted Airports, is one of the largest of its kind in the UK, and this year is promoting vacancies in Hospitality, Car Parks, and Bussing at its jobs fair.
Attendees will have the opportunity to learn more about a career at the airport by speaking to employers operating on-site.
More than 500 roles will be advertised at the event, and more than 20 employers represented.
Manchester Airport is hiring! ✈️
Join us at the Wythenshawe Forum on 5th November for a huge recruitment event featuring 20+ employers and over 500 live vacancies across the airport. Whether you're starting out or looking for a fresh opportunity – this is your chance to take… pic.twitter.com/cmrlZUrBTM
Running from 10am to 2pm on Wednesday 5 November at Wythenshawe Forum, some of the other employers who will be represented at the fair include retailers and franchise operators, like Fever Tree, JD Wetherspoon, and Airport Retail Enterprises, as well as airport service providers like Dnata, Mitie, and AES – the engineering delivery partner for Ryanair.
The Airport Academy, which is run in partnership by Manchester Airport and Trafford & Stockport College Group, will also be in attendance on the day to promote its free pre-employment support programmes and fully accredited training schemes.
Jobseekers who secure a role within MAG can take advantage of a wide range of benefits during their employment.
Manchester Airport is hosting a big jobs fair next month with more than 500 roles on offer / Credit: Manchester Airport
These include discounts on public transport when travelling to work, free on-site car parking whilst working and when going on holiday, an excellent pension scheme, training programmes, retail discounts, and many more.
“We are excited to be hosting our autumn jobs fair at Wythenshawe Forum, giving people in communities surrounding the airport and beyond an opportunity to find out more about the varied career paths on offer in aviation,” commented Marcella M’Rabety, who is the Head of Social Sustainability at Manchester Airport.
“We are proud of our role in serving those communities, not just by connecting them to the places they want to fly to, but also by creating opportunities for local people and ensuring communities share in our success.”
Manchester Airport’s autumn careers fair is free for all to attend, but you’ll need to book your ticket online first here.
Featured Image – MAG
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Manchester Pride’s statement in full after performers say they’ve still not been paid
Daisy Jackson
Manchester Pride has released a statement addressing claims that some performers from this year’s festival still haven’t been paid for their work.
The charity behind the huge LGBTQ+ event has shared an update on its future amid public calls for several artists who appeared at the three-day festival to be paid.
The Manchester Pride Board of Trustees has said in a public statement that it is ‘currently in the process of determining the best way forward with our legal and financial advisers’.
Yesterday, a number of artists who appeared at this year’s celebration shared a letter that alleges they are still waiting for payment for their work at the festival, which takes place every August bank holiday weekend.
Those who have spoken out have so far included RuPaul’s Drag Race UK star Zahirah Zapanta, singer-songwriter Patrick Saint James, and actor Adam Ali.
The statement from Manchester Pride has also stressed that the welfare of its team and staff is of the utmost importance and pleaded that they be treated with ‘kindness and respect’.
“They have worked hard to deliver pride for decades and we are proud of them,” Manchester Pride wrote. “It is the board that takes responsibility for our decisions based on advice and guidance, and not our staff.”
Manchester Pride added that they aim to provide more details by Wednesday 22 October.
Their full statement is as follows: “We recognise that there has been a period of silence from us, whilst we have taken legal and financial advice. We understand the frustration this has caused and the impact this has. Our intention is to ensure that we speak with honesty, clarity, and care as we move forward.
“Manchester Pride is currently in the process of determining the best way forward with our legal and financial advisers. The aim is to provide additional communications by Wednesday 22nd October. We will provide further information to our communities and stakeholders as well. They deserve this.
“We know that moments like this can raise questions and emotions. We want to ensure that our staff, interns, artists, contractors and suppliers, who are all a part of our community, are heard and considered. The wellbeing and safety of our staff, who are all a part of the wider community is our highest priority.
“We ask that people treat our staff, from the CEO to the interns and volunteers, with kindness and respect. They have worked hard to deliver pride for decades and we are proud of them. It is the board that takes responsibility for our decisions based on advice and guidance, and not our staff.
“As part of this process, we will be reaching out to key stakeholders, partners, and media contacts in due course. Until then, we are pausing further public comment while we focus on clear and careful communication.
“Thank you to everyone who shows solidarity during this time.”
Emily Sergeant -
10th January 2024 
