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Truancy

Volume 455: debated on Tuesday 9 January 2007

To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what proportion of half days were missed due to unauthorised absence in maintained secondary schools in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas in 2005-06; how many students accounted for days missed in each category for CETTS; and if he will make a statement. (108961)

The figures for the proportion of half days missed due to unauthorised absence in maintained mainstream secondary schools in (a) rural and (b) non-rural areas in 2005-06 are given in the following tables:

Percentage of half days missed in maintained mainstream secondary schools1 due to unauthorised absence2 in 2005/06

Percentage

Rural areas

0.75

Non-rural areas

1.28

1 Includes middle schools as deemed. 2 Figures are provisional. Note: Schools have been allocated as being in either an urban or rural area by matching the school postcode to the Rural and Urban Area Classification 2004 indicator held within the May 2005 National Statistics Postcode Directory.

Number1 of pupils in maintained mainstream secondary schools2 who missed at least one half day in 2005/06

Number

Rural areas

92,800

Non-rural areas

687,800

1 Figures are given to the nearest hundred. 2 Includes middle schools as deemed. Note: Schools have been allocated as being in either an urban or rural area by matching the school postcode to the Rural and Urban Area Classification 2004 indicator held within the May 2005 National Statistics Postcode Directory.

Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences, such as lateness, holidays during term time not authorised by the school, absence where reason is not yet established and truancy.