INTRODUCTION

Under section 36 of the Education Act 1944 parents of children of compulsory school age (5-16) are required to ensure that they receive a suitable education by regular attendance at school or otherwise. Failure to comply with this duty can lead to prosecution.

By law, schools are required to take attendance registers twice a day. This is done at the beginning of the morning and afternoon sessions. Some schools also call class registers at the start of each lesson. Since 1991 all schools (other than independent schools for boarders only) have been required to distinguish in their registers between authorised and unauthorised absence. Local education authorities (LEAs) are responsible in law for making sure that pupils attend school.

This booklet contains tables which show the following, for pupils of compulsory school age:

• levels of authorised and unauthorised absence from maintained primary schools in each local education authority area
• levels of authorised and unauthorised absence from maintained secondary schools in each local education authority area
• the national position, broken down by different types of school.

A maintained school is a self-governing (grant-maintained) school or a school that is funded by a local education authority.

Authorised absence is absence with permission from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes approved off-site activity (eg work experience) and instances of absence for which a satisfactory explanation has been provided (eg illness).

Unauthorised absence is absence without permission from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences.

The tables show the percentage of half days missed due to authorised and unauthorised absence in the 1993/94 school year up to and including 27 May 1994. To place these figures in context, the tables also include the average number of half days missed per absent pupil.

Number of pupils of compulsory school age means pupils of compulsory school age (5-16) in responding schools.

LEAs are listed alphabetically. For purposes of comparison average figures for different categories of school are included at the end of this booklet.

You can get extra copies of this booklet, free of charge, by contacting the address given on the back cover.