ALMOST 800 pupils in Plymouth missed half their school time in the last academic year according to an analysis of data by Labour – who are proposing measures to clamp down on the problem.
Rates of ‘severe absence’ – defined as pupils missing more than 50% of school time – rose to 785 pupils in Plymouth alone in the 2022-23 autumn and spring term, according to data take from the Department for Education.
That is more than six times the rate from the same period in the 2016-17 school year, and more than double that of the 2020-21 autumn and spring terms.
Nationally, rates of severe absence in the same periods have more than trebled from 2016-17 to 138,905 in the 2022-23 school year, but Labour are warning that the problem is in danger of spiralling ‘out of control’ in Plymouth.
A child is deemed persistently absent if they miss 10% of lessons or more, and severely absent if they miss 50% of lessons or more.
Over the course of a year, missing 10% of lessons would equate to four weeks’ worth of schooling, while missing half is the equivalent of missing four months of school.
This story is from the January 20, 2024 edition of The Herald.
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This story is from the January 20, 2024 edition of The Herald.
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