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| Version 0 | Version 1 |
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| Pupil absences reopen controversy | Pupil absences reopen controversy |
| (20 minutes later) | |
| The government has denied a Tory charge that it has dropped targets for reducing truancy in England's schools. | The government has denied a Tory charge that it has dropped targets for reducing truancy in England's schools. |
| Combined figures for autumn and spring terms last year showed an overall absence rate of 7.76% of the possible half-day sessions in secondary schools. | Combined figures for autumn and spring terms last year showed an overall absence rate of 7.76% of the possible half-day sessions in secondary schools. |
| This was down from 8.16% on 2005-06. In primaries the rate was 5.26%, with no equivalent previous year's data. | This was down from 8.16% on 2005-06. In primaries the rate was 5.26%, with no equivalent previous year's data. |
| The Tories say national targets for tackling truancy have gone. Ministers say local authorities have targets. | The Tories say national targets for tackling truancy have gone. Ministers say local authorities have targets. |
| Overall absence is now the government's preferred way of looking at the issue, rather than splitting it into authorised and unauthorised absences. | Overall absence is now the government's preferred way of looking at the issue, rather than splitting it into authorised and unauthorised absences. |
| Unauthorised absence in secondary schools rose from 1.41% in 2005-06 to 1.46% in the latest figures. | Unauthorised absence in secondary schools rose from 1.41% in 2005-06 to 1.46% in the latest figures. |
| The new absence statistics combine those for the autumn 2006 and spring 2007 terms which were first published and reported a few weeks ago. | The new absence statistics combine those for the autumn 2006 and spring 2007 terms which were first published and reported a few weeks ago. |
| 'Scrapped' | 'Scrapped' |
| The Opposition seized on the fact that the latest set of public service agreements between the Treasury and the schools department no longer set targets for reducing truancy. | The Opposition seized on the fact that the latest set of public service agreements between the Treasury and the schools department no longer set targets for reducing truancy. |
| Shadow children's secretary Michael Gove said: "The government have failed to get to grips with rising truancy. | Shadow children's secretary Michael Gove said: "The government have failed to get to grips with rising truancy. |
| "But instead of working harder to meet their target they have simply scrapped it." | "But instead of working harder to meet their target they have simply scrapped it." |
| He said measures that could be introduced included home-school contracts and giving schools more power to enforce proper discipline. | He said measures that could be introduced included home-school contracts and giving schools more power to enforce proper discipline. |
| But Young People's Minister Kevin Brennan said: "This is nonsense. By law every local authority must have a local target and report to me about their performance in tackling truancy. | But Young People's Minister Kevin Brennan said: "This is nonsense. By law every local authority must have a local target and report to me about their performance in tackling truancy. |
| "We are actually intensifying our efforts by insisting that all local authorities get tough on persistent absentees." | "We are actually intensifying our efforts by insisting that all local authorities get tough on persistent absentees." |
| Mr Brennan also said: "Our figures show that 75,000 more pupils were in school each day on average during the first two terms of last academic year compared to the annual average a decade ago - which shows our policies are working." | Mr Brennan also said: "Our figures show that 75,000 more pupils were in school each day on average during the first two terms of last academic year compared to the annual average a decade ago - which shows our policies are working." |
| But the Liberal Democrats said the equivalent of more than two million extra school days were lost last year due to truancy compared with 1997. | |
| Spokesman David Laws said: "The government?s attempts to curb truancy have been nothing more than empty rhetoric." | |
| Perspectives | |
| The deputy general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, Martin Ward, said the increase in unauthorised absences showed schools were getting tougher. | |
| But he said the Office for National Statistics had made it clear that the reliable and useful figure was the total absence rate. | |
| "It is a mistake to refer to unauthorised absence as 'truancy' since this figure includes the many holidays taken in term time, which remains a major problem for schools," he said. | |
| "Also in this figure are the absences of a small number of persistent absentees, whose parents certainly know of the situation but are either unable or unwilling to get them to school." | |
| Chris Keates of the NASUWT teachers' union said the adverse impact of frequent absence on teachers¿ workload was often underestimated. | |
| "Schools and local authorities should be congratulated for the work they have done. | |
| "It is important to recognise that most pupils attend school regularly and punctually. | |
| "However, it is clear that there is still more work to be done to address some specific issues." |