School truancy levels at record high

Truancy levels in England's schools rose to record levels last year with increasing numbers of primary pupils skipping classes, figures showed.

Government figures revealed more than 63,000 schoolchildren missed lessons every day. More than 233,000 were classed as "persistent absentees" - missing at least one day of school each week.

Ministers said measures to tackle absence are working - saying that 70,000 more pupils were in school each day last year than in 1996/7. But the Tories said that despite the Government ploughing £1 billion into addressing the problem truancy has increased.

The figures, published by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, show that the unauthorised absence rate rose to the highest level on record in 2007/08, with 1.01% of days missed - up from 1% in 2006/07.

But the total authorised absence rate fell to the lowest level on record, with children in all schools missing 5.28% of sessions last year, down from 5.59%.

In primary schools, more than 18,600 pupils skipped school each day without permission last year, up to 0.57% from 0.52% in 2006/07.

In secondary schools the unauthorised absence rate fell slightly, with 1.49% missing classes through truancy, illness and other reasons. This was down from 1.52% the previous year. But this still means than more than 43,000 pupils are missing lessons each day.

Illness was still by far the biggest reason for children missing school - accounting for more than half of all absence. The figures showed that 233,340 pupils missed more than 20% of all possible school sessions in 2007/08 - the equivalent of one day a week.

Children's minister Delyth Morgan said it was the Government's priority to tackle persistent absence as it can have a "damaging effect" on a child's future.

Christine Blower, acting general secretary of the National Union of Teachers, said: "Overcoming truancy is a difficult and demanding task for which there is no magic solution. What is absolutely essential, however, to ensure pupils remain engaged in schools is for the Government to stop its obsession with the present testing and targets regime."