Truancy figures set to soar

THE number of pupils persistently skipping school could soar to more than 2,000 in Oldham — the equivalent of missing a month of education.

Government is changing the definition of persistent absence in school performance tables from 20 per cent to 15 per cent to deal with the “reality” of pupils skipping school and the impact it has on learning.

At present latest figures show there are 863 persistent absentees from school in Oldham. But the Department for Education said changing the criteria from the current 20 per cent — on which the local figures are based — to the tighter 15 per cent there will be a national increase from 184,000 pupils to 430,000.

In Oldham it will mean there are 2,011 pupils in Oldham who miss more than a month of school in just one year.

Ministers say lowering the threshold will ensure that schools take action sooner to deal with absence. Ministers will continue to look at the possibility of further lowering the threshold over time.

In a further bid to highlight the problem of repeat skipping of school, the new data — along with the old threshold, and figures for the numbers of pupils who miss 12.5, 10 and 5 per cent of lessons — will be published.

Schools Minister Nick Gibb said: “We know that children who are absent for substantial parts of their education fall behind their friends and struggle to catch up. By changing the threshold on persistent absence, we are encouraging schools to crack down on persistent absenteeism.

“We will be setting out over the coming months stronger powers for schools to use if they wish to send a clear message to parents that persistent absence is unacceptable.”

Government say persistent absence is a serious problem for pupils and much of the work children miss when they are off school is never made up,

This leaves pupils at a considerable disadvantage for the remainder of their school career.

There is also clear evidence of a link between poor attendance at school and low levels of achievement.

Of pupils who miss between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of school, only 35 per cent manage to achieve five A* to C GCSEs including English and maths.

Charlie Taylor, the Government’s expert adviser on behaviour in schools, said: “As a teacher, I know how the poor attendance of pupils can disrupt their own learning and that of other pupils. Quickly these children begin to fall behind their friends and often fail to fill in gaps in their skills or knowledge.

Over time these pupils can become bored and disillusioned with education. These pupils are lost to the system, and can fall into anti-social behaviour and crime. That is why it is vital schools tackle absenteeism.”