England's secondary schools are Dickensian. No wonder children are staying away | Simon Jenkins

This year's most alarming statistic so far is that one parent in four thinks it is fine for children to skip school.

Persistent absenteeism in England has doubled since lockdown, from 10% to 22% of pupils.

While primary schools have made efforts to update their teaching methods, secondary schools have regressed and continue to rely on traditional teaching approaches.

It is almost unbelievable that the secondary curriculum and teaching methods have changed little since Charles Dickens.

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