Absentee fathers must be sent their children's school reports

Schools are being told they must step up communications with absentee fathers to try to improve pupils' well-being and performance.

Ministers will be revising school record regulations to underline the importance of keeping "everybody with parental responsibility" aware of pupils' progress at school, saying it can lift youngsters to know that both parents are supporting them in their schooling. In practice, that means sending fathers who do not live with their children copies of their end-of-term or end-of-year reports and exam results.

In an interview with The Independent, the Children's Minister, Beverley Hughes, said that schools – and other children's services – had a "pretty mixed" record of dealing with non-resident fathers. A document published by the Cabinet Office just before Christmas revealed that 25 per cent of children were living in lone parent homes.

"We're all familiar with the contribution mothers make towards their children's education," she said. "Re-search has shown that a father's involvement and interest in a child's development does make a significant difference to a child's behaviour, development and academic attainment. Fathers want to be more involved in their children's development."

Academics and teachers' leaders believe a father's interest is essential in spurring boys, in particular, on to performing better in school, saying that many in single parent families do not have a male role model and are often surrounded by female teachers at primary school. This, in turn, makes them think education is a "female thing".

They argue that more involvement by fathers in their children's education could be a key to improving the performance of boys in schools and in the numbers going to university. Boys lag behind girls in almost every subject at GCSE and A-level. Statistics published recently by the Department for Children, Schools and Families showed that white boys from poor families were among the worst performers at GCSE.

Ms Hughes said there was some "good practice" among schools in promoting contact with absentee fathers over their children's education. "We want to see best practice converted to common practice, though," she said.

A policy document outlining priorities for this year in her department said: "In early 2009, we will publish guidance for the children's workforce on how to communicate with non-resident fathers." Ms Hughes acknowledged that the issue would have to be tackled with "some sensitivity" – avoiding cases where there was history of violence in the family.

But Margaret Morrissey, spokeswoman for the parents' pressure group Parents Aloud, cautioned ag-ainst taking too strong a line in prompting schools to liaise with absentee fathers. "I think it is possible that the Government is re-inventing the wheel. I may be wrong but my evidence is that there are an awful lot of schools that are quite good at handling this already."