The third paper in the series uses the post-pandemic attendance crisis as its lens, arguing that rising absenteeism is a symptom of a deeper collapse of trust — in institutions, in authority and in the relevance of schooling. Drawing on data showing persistent absence nearly doubling to 24% and the rise of “inside truancy,” the authors situate England’s attendance problem within a broader geopolitical and societal fracture. The paper quotes Simon Jenkins directly and argues that doubling down on compliance, rigid discipline and centralised control is precisely the wrong response. What is needed instead is a new social compact between government, schools, parents and communities — and a curriculum that students actually find worth turning up for.