Unauthorised school absences have jumped by 25 per cent on pre-Covid levels, and have been found to be 20 per cent higher on Fridays than Wednesdays, according to analysis of government figures. The largest gap is in primary schools, where pupils are 21 per cent more likely to be absent on a Friday and 24 per cent more likely to be off school without a stated reason.
Warning "the Covid pandemic has had a major impact on school attendance", Ms Keegan claimed yesterday this "could be linked with many parents working from home", citing absence rates rising from 4.7 per cent in 2019 to 7 per cent this year, and an increase in unauthorised holiday absences.
As part of a push to restore social norms about children attending school every day, the education secretary wrote in The Times that improving attendance was her "top priority", telling parents: "We are very clear - it is unacceptable to take a deliberate decision to take your child out of school.
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Denne historien er fra May 11, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Besieged Sweeney fights on in face of growing rebellion
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