Absenteeism is a symptom — not the problem.
At Bath Rugby Foundation, we’ve been exploring what’s really behind the rise in school absence. From mental health challenges to emotional trauma, this series is unpacking the deeper reasons why more and more young people are disengaging from education.

But to truly understand what’s going on, we need to ask a bigger question:
What does it mean to grow up in today’s world — and how well does our education system respond to that reality?

The system can’t understand disengagement without understanding modern childhood

At Westbourne Academy in Ipswich, teachers recently went on strike — not for pay, but for safety.

Their classrooms have become volatile. Corridors unmanageable. Scissors thrown. Teachers assaulted.

Among the headlines, one quote stood out:

“They see these people on social media making a lot of money and they think they don't have to work hard.”

At first glance, it may sound arrogant — or deluded. But it’s not.
It’s survival logic in a digital-first world. A coping mechanism in a system that often feels irrelevant, outdated, and disconnected from the real pressures of modern life.

Modern childhood has changed. School hasn’t.

Today’s students are growing up under relentless digital pressure. Every scroll tells them:

• Academic success is outdated

• Authority is negotiable

• Visibility equals value

When a young person decides school isn’t worth their energy, they’re not being lazy.
They’re reacting — often intelligently — to a world that rewards them for things school rarely acknowledges.

And yet the system continues to respond with:

• Uniform checks

• Detentions

• Suspensions and exclusions

All while anxiety rises and attendance collapses.

Students aren’t broken. The model is.

At our Alternative Learning Hub, we work with students who’ve been excluded, disengaged, or written off by mainstream education.

They arrive believing they’ve failed — or worse, that school has failed them.

What we’ve learned is clear:
Students haven’t changed. The world has. And the model hasn’t caught up.

When a teenager says they want to be an influencer, they’re often saying:

• “I want to be seen.”

• “I want control over my future.”

• “I want to feel valued.”

That’s not arrogance. It’s a need. One we must acknowledge — not punish.

What students need isn’t more discipline — it’s better design

At Bath Rugby Foundation, we’ve rebuilt our approach to match the world students are actually living in.

We don’t try to force young people to fit a failing model.
We change the model to fit them.

Here’s how we do it:

• 📵 Phones locked away to create space for real-world interaction and mental clarity

• 🧠 Curriculum reframed to include:

  • Life skills

  • Emotional learning

  • Functional skills in maths and English

  • Vocational options like construction

• ❤️ Relationships first — behaviour follows belonging

• ✅ Success redefined — meaningful, achievable, future-focused

This isn’t “soft.” It’s strategic. Practical. Effective.

The education system must evolve — or risk losing the next generation

When teachers strike, it’s not just a school crisis — it’s a warning sign.

What we’re seeing isn’t simply disruption.
It’s disconnection.

If we want young people to come back to school — physically, emotionally, and mentally — we must stop blaming them and start building for them.

They don’t need more lectures.
They need relevance. Purpose. Belonging.

Above all, they need adults willing to redesign education for the world they live in — not the one we remember.

About this series

This article is part of Bath Rugby Foundation’s ongoing Absenteeism series, exploring the root causes of student absence and what we’re doing to respond.

Because every 1 matters.
Because we’re changing young lives.

We’re listening. We’re responding. We’re rebuilding futures.

📲 Click here to read other articles in the series.
📩 Want to refer a young person to our Alternative Learning Hub?