Children shouldn’t be missing school to join pro-Palestinian demonstrations, Ofsted’s chief inspector Amanda Spielman said.

Hundreds of pupils across the UK have walked out from their classrooms in recent weeks to join rallies calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

Events have taken place in cities including London, Bristol and Glasgow.

Responding to a question from Sky News, Ms Spielman expressed concern at the “political activity” and its potential to create division within schools.

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She said: “It does concern me when children are taken out of school for something that obviously isn’t something like a medical appointment.

“This is very clearly political activity. It’s very important that that doesn’t wash back into school.”

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Asked what her message to parents is, Ms Spielman added: “Your children shouldn’t be missing school. It’s really important that they get the benefit of the whole experience.”

Ms Spielman made the comments as she unveiled her final annual report in her role leading England’s education watchdog.

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The report – which relates to the last academic year, from September 2022 to August 2023 – warned the social contract between parents and schools has been “fractured” since the pandemic.

It said pupil behaviour and attendance have both deteriorated and parents are “increasingly willing” to challenge school rules.

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Ms Spielman raised concerns about a “troubling shift” in attitudes, adding there is “less respect for the principle of a full-time education”.

She said the unwritten agreement between schools and families – which sees parents get their children to school every day and respect the school’s policies – has been “damaged” and could take years to restore.

“Unfortunately, there is ample evidence that this contract has been fractured, both in absenteeism and in behaviour,” Ms Spielman said.

“Restoring this contract is vital to sustaining post-pandemic progress but is likely to take years to rebuild fully.”

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In autumn 2022, nearly a quarter (24.2%) of pupils in England were “persistently absent” – meaning they missed at least 10% of their school sessions.

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This is significantly higher than the pre-pandemic rate of 13% in autumn 2019.

Secondary schools are also noticing more pupil absences than normal on Mondays and Fridays.

Pupils and teachers are also seeing “more disruptive behaviour” in school following the pandemic, which is affecting their ability to learn or teach, Ofsted warned.

“This is especially true of persistent low-level disruption in class, such as pupils refusing to do as they are told, talking back to teachers or using social media in class,” according to the report.

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