Truants getting younger

Diigo

SKIVING pupils are more likely to be from primary schools than secondaries,according to the Government. Figures published by the Department for Education and Skills show the number of primary school children bunking off has risen in Lambeth, Lewisham and Wandsworth but dropped in Southwark.

There was less truancy among secondary school pupils in Lambeth and Lewisham since last year - but more in Southwark and Wandsworth.

Kingsdale School in West Dulwich was held up by the Government as an example of a secondary school which had a high rate of unauthorised absence rate but has successfully cracked down on pupils who persistently cut classes.

In 2004/5, 62 pupils at the school in Alleyn Park missed more than 40 half days.

In 2005/6 just 31 pupils missed more than 30 half-days.

Schools minister Jim Knight said: "More than two-thirds of pupils with unauthorised absence miss five days or fewer.

"But it is disappointing that, at the other end of the scale, a stubborn minority of pupils remain determined to jeopardise their education by missing very significant amounts of their schooling."

A Southwark council spokeswoman said: "Improvements in primary school attendance are very encouraging and are down to a lot of targeted work with certain schools as well as cracking down on parentally-condoned absence through our joint initiatives with the police and street wardens.

"Secondary schools were at record levels last year following four years of improvements and this year only two secondary schools failed to to show improvement.

"We believe it's important to focus on the attendance figures, rather than the absence figures, which can be misleading.

"We encourage schools to be honest about whether an absence was authorised or not, so that we know where to focus our attention but this can make our unauthorised absence figures seem higher."

A spokesman for Wandsworth council said: "The primary school figures are relatively static. In secondary schools, most of the absence focuses on two or three schools which we are working closely with." 

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