Question to the Department for Education:

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of (a) work placements and (b) technical education on school attendance for children less able to learn in normal settings.

The department is aware that providing young people with the opportunity to participate in work placements and engage in vocational and technical education can provide them with the skills and knowledge they need later in life. That is why steps have been taken to ensure pupils can access high-quality vocational and technical qualifications from 14-16 and have improved the quality of non-GCSE qualifications at Key Stage 4 by introducing a new approvals process for Technical Awards.

The careers statutory guidance also makes it clear that schools, including providers of Alternative Provision, should offer every young person at least one experience of a workplace by age 16. This means that every pupil should have opportunities, tailored to their needs, to learn from different employers about work and the skills that are valued in the workplace as well as first-hand experiences of the workplace through work visits, work shadowing and/or work experience.

The government recognises that the reasons for absence are varied and complex, and there are many different reasons that may help to encourage pupils back into education settings.