While she was braced for a fight with independent schools over the charging of VAT on fees - or ending their tax break, as she would argue – she knew she had a task in using the £1.5bn in revenue that raised to recruit 6,500 extra teachers.
But what she did not expect to be an early problem was the “absence epidemic” of pupils missing from classrooms. The situation is akin to the prisons crisis, which has meant the new government has had to release offenders early due to overcrowding, in that it appears to be much worse than expected.
For Phillipson, ensuring children make the most of their schooling is personal, as it was education that raised her out of severe poverty to Oxford University and now to become a senior minister.
How bad is the crisis?
According to the latest available data for England, 150,000 children were recorded as “severely absent” from school in 2022-23. This means they missed every other day – or half of all teaching time.
The Department for Education (DfE) says 22 per cent of pupils were labelled as “persistent” absentees and 1.5 per cent were judged “severe” absentees in the last academic year. Both figures have more than doubled since 2017-18. Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland’s education is overseen by their devolved governments.
What is the impact on children?
Denne historien er fra September 02, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra September 02, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
'Fight days are for fighting, not chatting to each other'
This Saturday, Joshua Buatsi will share a card with his friend Anthony Joshua for the fourth time, boxing Willy Hutchinson for an interim title at Wembley. Alex Pattle gets the lowdown
F1 title opening could prove to be Norris's only chance
Under the afternoon sun on Saturday in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku, it felt like the moment the drivers’ title slipped away from Lando Norris.
The Man City hearing must answer these two questions
Amid all of the uncertainty around the Manchester City investigation, there is one view that can be stated with confidence as it finally gets under way.
Super clubs have nothing to fear from Uefa's shake-up
As a new Champions League format makes its debut today, Miguel Delaney looks at what it means for the competition
Final messages from Titan before implosion revealed
“All good here.”
New Zealand's bird of the year picked up by a penguin
A rare, smelly and yellow-eyed penguin species has been crowned New Zealand’s bird of the year for the second time in less than a decade.
Death toll rises as floods devastate central Europe
The death toll across central Europe from the worst flooding in decades has risen to at least 16 after Storm Boris brought a month’s worth of rain in just 24 hours.
Germany reimposes border controls to tackle migration
Germany has reintroduced checks on all nine of its land borders in a move that has angered a number of its neighbours – but brought praise from the far right.
Putin boosts troop numbers as missiles pummel Ukraine
President Vladimir Putin yesterday ordered the regular size of the Russian army to increase by 180,000 troops to 1.5 million soldiers, the third time he has expanded its ranks since sending the military into Ukraine in February 2022.
'I figured he must be either dead or in prison by now...'
Those who know Ryan Routh talk of his previous 'escapades'