Truancy epidemic

Poverty and increase in children with mental health issues blamed | Persistent absenteeism in Scotland has sky-rocketed since the Covid lockdowns | Education expert says it is almost impossible for kids to reverse impact

- CHRIS MCCALL

MORE than 220,000 pupils are persistently skipping school across Scotland amid an attendance crisis.

Official figures out yesterday found almost one in three kids were absent at least once a fortnight last year.

Absenteeism is worst in secondary schools, with 126,029 pupils regularly missing classes.

Experts last night said truancy has sky-rocketed since the Covid lockdown.

But opposition MSPs demanded action to get our children back to school.

Pam Duncan-Glancy, Labour’s education spokeswoman, said: “Under the SNP Scotland’s world-class education system has been left to decline. Exam results are falling and schools are falling down the international league tables – but the SNP has no workforce plan in place and has overseen the removal of hundreds of teachers.

“Classrooms are like pressure cookers and sky-high absence rates mean thousands of pupils are missing out on an education.

“Hardworking teachers are being asked to do the impossible and the poorest pupils are paying the harshest price for the SNP’s failure. Scotland’s young people deserve a world-class education system that gives every single child the best start in life.”

Education experts yesterday warned the fall in average attendance was a serious concern and that Scotland needed to tackle the problem.

Poverty and an increase in kids with mental health problems have been blamed for the rise in absences.

But repeated school closures during the lockdowns in 2020 and 2021 have also been pointed to as an explanation.