§ 27. Mr. Roger EvansTo ask the Secretary of State for Education what were the principal findings of the tables on truancy published last year by his Department.
§ Mr. ForthThe tables published in November 1993 found that significant amounts of valuable learning time are being lost due to unauthorised absence; 12 per cent. of all pupils in primary and in secondary schools had been absent without authority in the period covered by the tables. An average of 12 half-days were lost by every absent primary school pupil and 24 half-days were lost by every absent secondary pupil. Rates of unauthorised absence varied widely between individual LEAs and schools.
Grade Number of women Percentage women Number of ethnics Percentage ethnics Number of disabled Percentage disabled Grade 1 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Grade 2 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Grade 3 0 0.0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Grade 4 1 25·0 0 0.0 0 0.0 Grade 5 12 26.1 0 0.0 1 2.2 Grade 6 2 13.3 0 0.0 0 0.0 Grade 7 44 28.8 4 2.6 1 0.7 TOTAL IN DFE 1,309 58.4 164 7.3 63 2.9 There were other staff in the Department with disabilities who chose not to register and are not therefore included in the figures.
These figures include 376 staff in post in the Teachers' Pensions Agency.