Open Letter to Bridget Phillipson & warning parents against casual attitude’ to school'
The Issue
Please note: This is an open letter, and you are welcome to add your signature to urge Ms. Phillipson to take our concerns seriously.
Dear Ms. Phillipson,
We, parents and mentors of SEN* students, are writing to express our concerns regarding your recent statements on school attendance, as reported in The Guardian on February 3, 2025. We feel that the true needs of all families and also the additional challenges faced by SEN students have not been adequately considered in your approach.
We care about the welfare of all young people to be treated with dignity and given the opportunity to learn in environments that care for their well-being
*Please note that SEN is used in this letter in line with what we think you will recognise but we prefer terms such as neurodivergent or disabled
Addressing Some of Your Statements
“Every day at school matters and parents have responsibilities, too.”
Parents do, of course, have responsibilities to ensure their children are safe, nurtured, and supported in their learning. But these responsibilities do not exist in isolation. Parents carry these alongside the weight of rising living costs, job insecurity, inadequate childcare provisions, and the struggle to access timely healthcare, including mental health support for their children.
First and foremost, a parent’s responsibility is to their child’s well-being. If a child is struggling with anxiety, facing bullying, dealing with undiagnosed neurodivergence, or overwhelmed, a rigid focus on attendance without addressing these underlying issues does not serve them. School should be a place of learning and development, not a source of distress. Pressuring parents to send their children regardless of circumstance only compounds the challenges they face.
Instead of placing blame on families, we should be asking: What can schools and policymakers do to better support parents in fulfilling all their responsibilities, not just the ones that fit neatly into attendance figures? A more compassionate, solutions-focused approach would serve children, families and schools alike.
“The decisions you take as an individual parent not to send your children to school impact the education of all children in the class.”
I would appreciate clarification on exactly how you believe this impact occurs.
Parents do not make the decision to keep their child at home lightly. Children miss school for a range of legitimate reasons like illness, unmet special educational needs, mental health struggles or family crises. Are you suggesting that prioritizing a child's well-being in these situations somehow undermines the education of others?
If a child is unwell or in distress, forcing them into the classroom does not create a positive learning environment for anyone. In fact, it can be distressing for all students and staff, placing additional strain on teachers who are already managing overstretched resources. If you are referring to wider systemic issues such as funding shortages, staff shortages, or insufficient SEND support, these are problems for policymakers to address, not burdens for individual families to carry.
Instead of framing parents as contributors to educational decline, I urge you to acknowledge the real pressures they face and work towards policies that support all children, including those unable to attend.
Valid Reasons for School Absence, A Beginning List
The School Environment, Sensory
Many neurodivergent children, including Autistic, ADHD, dyslexic and other neurotypes, encounter environments in mainstream schools that can be overwhelming or even hostile. Sensory overload can lead to significant anxiety and distress, making consistent attendance a daunting prospect for these students. These students then need days off in order to recover.
Lack of Resources and Accommodations
Furthermore, the current educational framework often fails to provide adequate support for SEN students. Long waiting lists for formal diagnoses and insufficient resources mean that many children do not receive the accommodations they need in a timely manner. This lack of support can exacerbate how difficult the school setting is and therefore making days off of school a necessity.
Rigid Disciplinary Measures
Reports have surfaced about certain schools where rigid disciplinary measures have adversely affected students' mental health. In some cases, children have been denied access to bathrooms, leading to severe anxiety and depression. Such environments are particularly challenging for neurodivergent students, who may require more understanding and flexibility.
Lack of Access to Health Assessments and Mental Health Support
Contrary to your previous statement that does not support parents keeping their children home for runny noses or illness, illness is a valid reason for absence. Children who are unwell need rest, not pressure to attend school while sick.
Beyond short-term illness, many young people experience chronic health conditions, pain, and fatigue that make full-time school attendance unsustainable. Compounding this issue are long waiting times and lack of access to medical specialists, mental health professionals and essential health assessments. Therefore, many of these young people remain unassessed and unsupported. Their medical needs do not disappear simply because they lack a formal diagnosis.
As a result, many children are left struggling in silence, attempting to endure the demands of long school days without the necessary accommodations or recognition of their needs. They require breaks, flexibility, and understanding and not punitive measures for absences that are beyond their control.
We urge you to consider the following recommendations to create a more inclusive educational environment:
-Flexible Attendance Policies: Implement policies that recognise the legitimate reasons students may struggle with attendance, ensuring they are not unfairly penalised.
-Enhanced Support Services: Increase funding and resources for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) and support staff trained in neurodiversity to provide tailored assistance to these students.
-Teacher Training: Mandate comprehensive training for educators on different neurotypes and neurodiversity from lived-experience educators to foster understanding and implement effective, compassionate teaching strategies.
-Inclusive Curriculum Development: Encourage the development of curricula that are adaptable to various learning styles, ensuring that all students, including neurodivergent students, can engage meaningfully with the material.
-Parental Collaboration: Establish clear channels for collaboration between schools and parents, Including to develop education plans for SEN students
By adopting these measures, we believe that schools can become more accommodating environments where all students feel safe, understood and valued. This, in turn, will likely improve attendance rates and educational outcomes for these young people.
We appreciate your attention to this critical matter and look forward to seeing positive changes that reflect a commitment to inclusivity and understanding within our education system.
Sincerely,
Laura Hellfeld, Neurodivergent Nurse Consulting, Laura.theNDnurse@gmail.com
Alice McSweeney, Neurodiverse Journeys, neurodiversejourneys@gmail.comhttps://neurodiversejourneys.com
Scott Neilson, Autistically Scott, autisticallyscott@gmail.com
Jenny Loughran, Autistic Revolution, autisticrevolutionmagazine@gmail.com
Teodora Byrne, SENDwise Hub, sendwisehub@hotmail.com
Quotes
“As a parent that’s flexi-schools my child I always ask school to send home crucial work and I will do this with my child on home education days (1 day a week- I’ve never been sent work home), my school have reported no negative impacts on my child’s schooling having these days off, they report she returns engaged in learning. Her attendance is 86%.” - A
“My other daughter spent 2 years recovering from school based trauma due to being pressured to follow these kinds of statements. The council have said no school in the uk exists that can meet her needs, so this statement is hurtful. However she is thriving home educated and has done more learning and progression since recovering from autistic burnout and trauma in the last year than in 8 years of school. She is thriving, has more life skills then peers her age and through creative self-directed learning is excelling.”- A
“Directing blame towards parents does nothing to rectify the current barriers experienced by Neurodivergent and otherwise disabled students. Developing collaborations between schools and families is necessary to achieve better outcomes for young people. So many young people are struggling with burnout as a result of unmet needs from the school environment. Therefore, it is crucial that schools seek to understand these challenges faced by families and implement reasonable adjustments that can support them.
Additionally, understanding the dynamic nature of disability is also key, as numerous young people will experience a fluctuating capacity of their needs. This means that they will struggle to do things more days than others, hence requiring days off school to preserve their own wellbeing. Creating a school culture that accepts a variety of ways of being and values connection over compliance, is paramount to ensuring that pupils feel safe to attend school.” - Scott Neilson, Autistic Trainer and Mentor to Autistic young people
3,771
The Issue
Please note: This is an open letter, and you are welcome to add your signature to urge Ms. Phillipson to take our concerns seriously.
Dear Ms. Phillipson,
We, parents and mentors of SEN* students, are writing to express our concerns regarding your recent statements on school attendance, as reported in The Guardian on February 3, 2025. We feel that the true needs of all families and also the additional challenges faced by SEN students have not been adequately considered in your approach.
We care about the welfare of all young people to be treated with dignity and given the opportunity to learn in environments that care for their well-being
*Please note that SEN is used in this letter in line with what we think you will recognise but we prefer terms such as neurodivergent or disabled
Addressing Some of Your Statements
“Every day at school matters and parents have responsibilities, too.”
Parents do, of course, have responsibilities to ensure their children are safe, nurtured, and supported in their learning. But these responsibilities do not exist in isolation. Parents carry these alongside the weight of rising living costs, job insecurity, inadequate childcare provisions, and the struggle to access timely healthcare, including mental health support for their children.
First and foremost, a parent’s responsibility is to their child’s well-being. If a child is struggling with anxiety, facing bullying, dealing with undiagnosed neurodivergence, or overwhelmed, a rigid focus on attendance without addressing these underlying issues does not serve them. School should be a place of learning and development, not a source of distress. Pressuring parents to send their children regardless of circumstance only compounds the challenges they face.
Instead of placing blame on families, we should be asking: What can schools and policymakers do to better support parents in fulfilling all their responsibilities, not just the ones that fit neatly into attendance figures? A more compassionate, solutions-focused approach would serve children, families and schools alike.
“The decisions you take as an individual parent not to send your children to school impact the education of all children in the class.”
I would appreciate clarification on exactly how you believe this impact occurs.
Parents do not make the decision to keep their child at home lightly. Children miss school for a range of legitimate reasons like illness, unmet special educational needs, mental health struggles or family crises. Are you suggesting that prioritizing a child's well-being in these situations somehow undermines the education of others?
If a child is unwell or in distress, forcing them into the classroom does not create a positive learning environment for anyone. In fact, it can be distressing for all students and staff, placing additional strain on teachers who are already managing overstretched resources. If you are referring to wider systemic issues such as funding shortages, staff shortages, or insufficient SEND support, these are problems for policymakers to address, not burdens for individual families to carry.
Instead of framing parents as contributors to educational decline, I urge you to acknowledge the real pressures they face and work towards policies that support all children, including those unable to attend.
Valid Reasons for School Absence, A Beginning List
The School Environment, Sensory
Many neurodivergent children, including Autistic, ADHD, dyslexic and other neurotypes, encounter environments in mainstream schools that can be overwhelming or even hostile. Sensory overload can lead to significant anxiety and distress, making consistent attendance a daunting prospect for these students. These students then need days off in order to recover.
Lack of Resources and Accommodations
Furthermore, the current educational framework often fails to provide adequate support for SEN students. Long waiting lists for formal diagnoses and insufficient resources mean that many children do not receive the accommodations they need in a timely manner. This lack of support can exacerbate how difficult the school setting is and therefore making days off of school a necessity.
Rigid Disciplinary Measures
Reports have surfaced about certain schools where rigid disciplinary measures have adversely affected students' mental health. In some cases, children have been denied access to bathrooms, leading to severe anxiety and depression. Such environments are particularly challenging for neurodivergent students, who may require more understanding and flexibility.
Lack of Access to Health Assessments and Mental Health Support
Contrary to your previous statement that does not support parents keeping their children home for runny noses or illness, illness is a valid reason for absence. Children who are unwell need rest, not pressure to attend school while sick.
Beyond short-term illness, many young people experience chronic health conditions, pain, and fatigue that make full-time school attendance unsustainable. Compounding this issue are long waiting times and lack of access to medical specialists, mental health professionals and essential health assessments. Therefore, many of these young people remain unassessed and unsupported. Their medical needs do not disappear simply because they lack a formal diagnosis.
As a result, many children are left struggling in silence, attempting to endure the demands of long school days without the necessary accommodations or recognition of their needs. They require breaks, flexibility, and understanding and not punitive measures for absences that are beyond their control.
We urge you to consider the following recommendations to create a more inclusive educational environment:
-Flexible Attendance Policies: Implement policies that recognise the legitimate reasons students may struggle with attendance, ensuring they are not unfairly penalised.
-Enhanced Support Services: Increase funding and resources for special educational needs coordinators (SENCOs) and support staff trained in neurodiversity to provide tailored assistance to these students.
-Teacher Training: Mandate comprehensive training for educators on different neurotypes and neurodiversity from lived-experience educators to foster understanding and implement effective, compassionate teaching strategies.
-Inclusive Curriculum Development: Encourage the development of curricula that are adaptable to various learning styles, ensuring that all students, including neurodivergent students, can engage meaningfully with the material.
-Parental Collaboration: Establish clear channels for collaboration between schools and parents, Including to develop education plans for SEN students
By adopting these measures, we believe that schools can become more accommodating environments where all students feel safe, understood and valued. This, in turn, will likely improve attendance rates and educational outcomes for these young people.
We appreciate your attention to this critical matter and look forward to seeing positive changes that reflect a commitment to inclusivity and understanding within our education system.
Sincerely,
Laura Hellfeld, Neurodivergent Nurse Consulting, Laura.theNDnurse@gmail.com
Alice McSweeney, Neurodiverse Journeys, neurodiversejourneys@gmail.comhttps://neurodiversejourneys.com
Scott Neilson, Autistically Scott, autisticallyscott@gmail.com
Jenny Loughran, Autistic Revolution, autisticrevolutionmagazine@gmail.com
Teodora Byrne, SENDwise Hub, sendwisehub@hotmail.com
Quotes
“As a parent that’s flexi-schools my child I always ask school to send home crucial work and I will do this with my child on home education days (1 day a week- I’ve never been sent work home), my school have reported no negative impacts on my child’s schooling having these days off, they report she returns engaged in learning. Her attendance is 86%.” - A
“My other daughter spent 2 years recovering from school based trauma due to being pressured to follow these kinds of statements. The council have said no school in the uk exists that can meet her needs, so this statement is hurtful. However she is thriving home educated and has done more learning and progression since recovering from autistic burnout and trauma in the last year than in 8 years of school. She is thriving, has more life skills then peers her age and through creative self-directed learning is excelling.”- A
“Directing blame towards parents does nothing to rectify the current barriers experienced by Neurodivergent and otherwise disabled students. Developing collaborations between schools and families is necessary to achieve better outcomes for young people. So many young people are struggling with burnout as a result of unmet needs from the school environment. Therefore, it is crucial that schools seek to understand these challenges faced by families and implement reasonable adjustments that can support them.
Additionally, understanding the dynamic nature of disability is also key, as numerous young people will experience a fluctuating capacity of their needs. This means that they will struggle to do things more days than others, hence requiring days off school to preserve their own wellbeing. Creating a school culture that accepts a variety of ways of being and values connection over compliance, is paramount to ensuring that pupils feel safe to attend school.” - Scott Neilson, Autistic Trainer and Mentor to Autistic young people
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Petition created on 9 February 2025