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Truancy: Disadvantaged

Volume 506: debated on Tuesday 23 February 2010

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of (a) boys and (b) girls who were eligible for free school meals were classified as persistent absentees in 2006-07. (314326)

[holding answer 29 January 2010]: The requested information is shown in the table.

Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools1,2,3: Number and proportion of persistent absentees4 by free school meal eligibility 2006-07 in England

Pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees

Proportion of pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees (percentage)6

Pupil enrolments who are not eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees

Proportion of pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees (percentage)6

All pupil enrolments classified as persistent absentees7

Proportion of pupil enrolments classified as absentees (percentage)6

Boys5

49,210

9.3

86,100

3.1

138,250

4.1

Girls5

46,560

9.2

85,910

3.3

134,710

4.2

1 Includes middle schools as deemed.

2 Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies).

3 Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.

4 Persistent absentees are defined as having 64 or more sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year, typically over 20 per cent. overall absence rate.

5 Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year up until 25 May 2007. Includes pupils on the roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once.

6 The number of persistent absentee enrolments expressed as a percentage of the total number of enrolments with the same characteristics.

7 Includes pupils for whom characteristic data were missing or unclassified.

Note:

Numbers are rounded to the nearest 10.

Source:

School Census

To ask the Secretary of State for Children, Schools and Families how many and what proportion of white British (a) boys and (b) girls who were eligible for free school meals were classified as persistent absentees in 2006-07. (314327)

[holding answer 29 January 2010]: The requested information is shown in the table.

Maintained primary, state-funded secondary and special schools1, 2, 3: Number and proportion of persistent absentees4 by free school meal eligibility 2006/07, in England

White British5

Pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees

Proportion of pupil enrolments who are eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees6

Pupil enrolments who are not eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees

Proportion of pupil enrolments who are not eligible for free school meals classified as persistent absentees6

All pupil enrolments classified as persistent absentees

Proportion of pupil enrolments classified as absentees6

Boys

37,970

11.0

69,250

3.1

107,210

4.2

Girls

36,240

11.0

70,420

3.3

106,660

4.3

1 Includes middle schools as deemed.

2 Includes maintained secondary schools, city technology colleges and academies (including all-through academies).

3 Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools. Excludes general hospital schools.

4 Persistent absentees are defined as having 64 or more sessions of absence (authorised and unauthorised) during the year, typically over 20 per cent. overall absence rate.

5 Number of pupil enrolments in schools from start of the school year up until 25 May 2007. Includes pupils on the roll for at least one session who are aged between five and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once.

6 The number of persistent absentee enrolments expressed as a percentage of the total number of enrolments with the same characteristics.

Note:

Numbers have been rounded to the nearest 10.

Source:

School Census