While visiting this lovely island on holiday, I was interested to read about problems with making sure children attend school. This is a vital issue if what is on offer is to be of benefit to those who need it most. No teacher can teach a child who isn’t there!

All compulsory education systems have a problem motivating those who may not see the value of what is on offer. There was talk in the article about the issue of enforcement. We have fines in England too but this does not necessarily make much difference to those whose lives are chaotic or who have other pressing priorities. It is also essential to make sure the barriers to participation are being addressed and I see that Malta’s social work services, like ours, are under pressure to deal with workloads. In the end, this is, as Marion Falzon Ghio identified, an issue of parenting. But parents don’t necessarily become more positive about education under threat.

Recent experience here would suggest that Malta needs to make sure schools address the issue in a proactive way. Only so much can be done by external agencies if the schools are not geared up to welcome the missing. Do they each have clear targets and strategies for reaching them? If there is a problem about too easy an acceptance of illness, how is this being challenged at the strategic level? If parents are neglecting their children’s care more generally, how is this dealt with?

But crucially, does the curriculum meet all children’s needs? Why should they be there? It is easy to design an education system intended to educate only an elite, or the most able and those whose families are most supportive. But not everyone wants to go to the University.

Are vocational routes seen as second class or lower status? What do our children and young people need to know in order to live responsible adult lives?

I hope these questions are on the agenda in Malta too.

(The correspondent is an independent education welfare consultant and trainer.)