As World Cup excitement grips the nation, Birmingham schools are taking proactive steps to prevent a surge in truancy linked to late-night football matches. Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson visited the city ahead of England’s opening game against Croatia on June 17, calling on parents to support school attendance despite the temptation to stay up watching games.
Acknowledging the challenge posed by World Cup matches kicking off between 9pm and 2am due to time zone differences, Phillipson urged families to encourage children to watch highlights or catch-up programs instead of tuning in live and risking missing school. “In recent years, we’ve slipped into a culture where ‘just one day off’ feels harmless,” she said. “But small absences add up and affect not just the individual child but the whole class’s progress.”
Vince Green, CEO of Summit Learning Trust overseeing multiple Birmingham schools, welcomed England’s 9pm weekday kick-offs, which he hopes will reduce disruption. His trust offers free breakfasts and a warm, welcoming environment where pupils can discuss the previous night’s matches before starting lessons, helping them feel connected and supported even after late nights.
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Green explained that while many families provide strong guidance on bedtime, some children still watch games late into the night. To address this, schools focus on encouraging attendance regardless of tiredness, emphasizing the importance of daily interaction for social development and learning.
Other schools, like Moat Farm Junior School in Oldbury, are using the World Cup as an opportunity to boost attendance and promote kindness. Their ‘football-themed’ competitions reward classes with points for participation in lunchtime football, kindness on and off the pitch, and high weekly attendance rates. Prizes include football training sessions, motivating pupils to come to school regularly.
Research highlights the critical impact of attendance on academic success. Students with 95–100% attendance in Year 6 are 1.3 times more likely to meet expected standards in reading, writing, and math, while high attendance in Year 11 correlates with nearly double the likelihood of achieving top GCSE grades. Furthermore, absenteeism during secondary school years can reduce future earnings by approximately £750 per missed day.
Birmingham faces ongoing challenges, ranking near the bottom nationally for primary school attendance. The city council launched an attendance improvement strategy targeting next decade aims to close this gap. The issue is particularly acute among vulnerable groups, including children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND), those known to social services, and children in care.
Phillipson stressed that schools remain vital spaces where children build relationships and develop social skills, essentials for lifelong success. By combining family cooperation with school support and innovative engagement strategies, Birmingham’s education leaders hope to keep truancy at bay during the World Cup and beyond.