§ Sir Irvine PatnickTo ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment if she will list the total number of truancies in days per year for each of the last three years for(a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Sheffield; and if she will make a statement. [8919]
§ Mr. ForthRegular school attendance is important for pupils' progress, but the data collected for the performance tables now published each autumn show that significant amounts of valuable learning time are lost due to unauthorised absence. Rates of unauthorised absence at maintained schools in Sheffield for the last three years were about twice the national average, as follows:
Unauthorised absence in maintained primary schools percentage of half days missed average number of half days missed per absent pupil School year Sheffield LEA England average Sheffield LEA England average 1993–94 1.0 0.5 13 11 1994–95 1.1 0.5 14 10 1995–96 1.2 0.5 13 10 Source:
DfEE National Pupil Absence Tables 1994, 1995 and 1996.
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Unauthorised absence in maintained secondary schools Percentage of half days missed Average number of half days missed per absent pupil School Year Sheffield LEA England average Sheffield LEA England average 1993–94 1.9 0.9 30 22 1994–95 1.9 1.0 29 22 1995–96 23 1.0 29 21 Source:
DfEE National Pupil Absence Tables 1994, 1995 and 1996.