School age girl with mum and notebooks

Going to School Matters

It’s vital that everyone works together to improve school attendance, as schools cannot tackle the school attendance problem alone. Since the pandemic, the number of children missing at least 20 days of school has almost doubled to one in five, and the causes of high absence are complex and overlapping.

With the upcoming General Election, now is a great time to teach young people about the role of MPs and how to get their voices heard. 

If you are a teacher or work with children in an educational setting, we invite you to join our campaign, Going to School Matters. We aim to engage  new MPs after the General Election by spotlighting the importance of school attendance and the challenges many families face by hearing from those the crisis impacts most: children.

At School-Home Support, we support schools by supporting families whose children struggle with attendance through bespoke, whole family support. We know that whole family support works, but we need the Government to invest so that more young people, families and schools can benefit.

What is the campaign?

Our campaign invites children aged 7-12 to write letters to their new local MP, sharing why school attendance matters, highlighting difficulties they or others face with attending school, and suggesting ways MPs can support schools better.

To get involved, simply use our resources below to teach your pupils about the role of an MP and how to craft letters on why going to school matters. Letters will need to be sent between 15 July and 19 July after the General Election – this is so all letters across the country are sent at the same time to have the greatest impact.

This is a brilliant opportunity to teach your pupils about Parliament and General Elections and the importance of getting their voice heard on an important topic that affects many children. Selected letters will also be featured on our social media platforms and website, offering pupils a platform for their voices. There will also be opportunities for budding young campaigners to get more involved.

Get involved

  1. Fill out our sign-up form below to let us know you’re participating and to receive reminders.
  2. Access our lesson pack for resources to educate your pupils about Parliament and General Elections (optional) and for letter-writing and letter-sending guidance.
  3. Use our example and template letter to inspire and guide your pupils.
  4. Send the letters to the school’s local new MP on letter-sending week, 15 July to 19 July
  5. Fill out our feedback form after letter-sending week to share the number of letters sent, recipient MPs, and share any photos or photocopies of letters you’re happy for us to share on our social media and website.

 

Sign up here to participate

Fill out our sign-up form to let us know you’re participating in this campaign with your school and to receive reminders about key dates.

Going to school matters

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