§ 25. Mr. MansTo ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will make a statement on the tables on truancy published last year by his Department.
§ Mr. ForthThe Government attach particular importance to regular school attendance. The tables published in November 1993 showed that significant amounts of valuable learning time were being lost due to unauthorised absence. Rates of unauthorised absence also varied widely between individual LEAs and schools. In order to obtain the full picture on pupil absence we are extending the publication requirement in 1994 to include authorised as well as unauthorised absence. The publication of absence data is an important part of a school's accountability to parents and the wider community.