Almost 20,000 days lost to truancy (From Basingstoke Gazette)

Almost 20,000 days lost to truancy

9:27am Wednesday 27th January 2010

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NEARLY 20,000 school days were missed by secondary pupils in the Basingstoke area due to truancy over two terms.

The figures, released by Hampshire County Council, show that five of the 11 secondary schools in Basingstoke and Deane had worse truancy rates than the national average over the autumn 2008 term and the spring term of 2009. The days missed are recorded as unauthorised absences.

Claire Sheret, media communications manager for Hampshire County Council, said there were 39,709 half-day sessions missed at the 11 Basingstoke and Deane secondary schools out of a total of 2,236,308 days over the two terms, which equates to 1.78 per cent.

The Vyne Community School in South View, Basingstoke, had 4.04 per cent of absences recorded as unauthorised, compared with just 1.44 per cent nationally and 1.39 per cent across Hampshire.

However, head teacher Peter Hutchinson said the majority of the truancy absences were down to his strict policy of not allowing pupils with poor attendance to go away on holiday during term time. Such absences are recorded as unauthorised.

He explained: “We don’t feel it’s a valid reason to take a two-week holiday during the academic year. Parents will tell me that their family can’t afford to take a holiday because it’s too expensive. I’m saying they should take their holidays during the school holidays. We have school holidays for that purpose.”

Mr Hutchinson said plans had been put in place to encourage pupils to go to school, adding: “Clearly attendance at the school is an issue, and we are doing our best to improve the attendance for certain children. This academic year, we are working with the local authority and members of support staff to work with families and students who have poor attendance.”

Brighton Hill Community College had 3.77 per cent of absences recorded as unauthorised – the second worst in Basingstoke after The Vyne. Acting head teacher Wendy Small declined to comment on the figures.

Bishop Challoner Catholic Secondary School had just 0.48 per cent unauthorised absences and The Clere School and Technology College had 0.28 per cent.

Julie Churcher, head teacher of Aldworth Science College, where only 0.94 per cent of absences were unauthorised, said the low figure was because pupils wanted to come to school.

She added: “We have a very good curriculum and our children feel they are getting a good deal.”

Figures for primary schools showed that Marnel Community Infant School in Popley, Basingstoke, had 3.38 per cent unauthorised absences during the autumn 2008 and spring 2009 term, compared with 0.65 per cent nationally and 0.37 per cent across Hampshire.

Head teacher Bernadette Cole said the figures represented a small number of families where children had very poor attendance.

She added: “I’m trying to work with them and to get their children to attend school and understand the importance of attending, even at infants.”

The head teacher said that skipping school at a young age set a trend for the future, adding: “Undoubtedly, it creates problems when the children get older. Sometimes within the family, there’s an older child at home and it becomes a thing the whole family do.”

Kempshott Junior School, Cliddesden Primary School and North Waltham Primary School all had no unauthorised absences over the two terms.

Councillor David Kirk, Hampshire County Council’s executive member for children’s services, said the council encourages schools to challenge parents about the reason for their child’s absence and to record it as unauthorised unless it is either unavoidable or with the consent of the head teacher.

He added: “Where parents fail or refuse to co-operate, the local authority can, and will, consider taking legal action or imposing sanctions.

“I cannot emphasise enough the importance of good attendance at school if pupils are to get the most from their education.”

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