Reports into Truancy

The Department for Education and Skills has published some provisional figures on the level of pupil absence in 2004/05. The report provides information on the level of school absences in 2004/05 at national, regional and local authority level.

The report shows that total absences and authorised absences have decreased by 0.06 percentage points and 0.08 percentage points respectively in maintained primary schools. However, unauthorised absences have increased by 0.02 percentage points.

In maintained secondary schools total absences and authorised absences have decreased by 0.23 and 0.35 percentage points respectively, whilst unauthorised absence has increased by 0.12 percentage points.

Final data will be published in December and data for individual schools will be published early in 2006 as part of the Achievement & Attainment Tables. The report can be found at http://www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/DB/SFR/s000602/SFR40-2005.pdf. The New Philanthropy Capital group (NPC) has also published a report entitled, ‘School’s out?’ which focuses on the twin problems of school disaffection; truancy and exclusion from school. The report concentrates on the following areas:

The numbers of children and young people affected and a look at the reasons why some children are at greater risk than others.

Government’s response to the problems of truancy and exclusion.

The role of charities in supporting children, young people, their families and schools.

Analysis of the results of such activities.

The report is sceptical of the Government figures on truancy and claims that the official figures ‘significantly underestimate’ the rate of truancy as they rely on attendances taken at registration and do not take into account the two thirds of individual lessons which are missed without authorisation. It is also critical that the estimated £1bn spent on Government initiatives to deal with truancy had not had any impact on the problem. It concludes that the lack of a single national or local agency to deal with truancy was partly to blame. The full report can be found via http://www.philanthropycapital.org/html/news_views.php

Action on Rights for Children (Arch) a registered not for profit company which supports children`s civil rights has also published a report in relation to truancy entitled, ‘How effective are Truancy Sweeps’.

The report is critical of the use of police truancy sweeps claiming that they are a blunt instrument that cannot cater for the complex range of events in a child’s life. The group also claims that sweeps are unnecessary as well as an infringement of children`s civil liberties.

It produced figures from its research that show:

Over 16,000 hours of police time are spent annually on truancy sweeps.

1 truant is found for every 82 minutes of police time.

1 child is stopped for every 30 minutes of police time.

63% of children stopped are not truanting.

The full report can be found at http://www.arch-ed.org/truancy/tsr05.htm