Over 10,000 pupils 'persistently absent' from Wiltshire schools
The figures equate to 18% of children in the county
The latest data shows that more than 10,000 pupils in Wiltshire have been recorded as persistently absent.
Attendance data published by the Department for Education has revealed that of the 62,115 students enrolled in schools across Wiltshire, 18.1% have been classified as persistent absentees.
This means that these pupils have missed more than 10% of school sessions.
One session is counted as a single morning or afternoon spent in school.
Wiltshire Council’s children select committee was presented with this update at a meeting on Tuesday (26th November) at County Hall.
The report showed that the rate of persistently absent students in the county is lower than the average for the South West and the rest of the country.
In England, the rate is up at 19.2%, whilst it sits at 20.3% in the South West.
School absences remain higher now than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic.
Earlier this year, the committee was told by Wiltshire Council’s Director for Education and Skills, that the local authority was “not complacent”, despite its comparatively “strong” performance.