Page added on February 7, 2012
City School Attendance on Track to Be Best Ever
Attendence figures for Leicester’s schools are on track to be the best ever.
Latest provisional figures for the autumn 2011 term show absence in both primary and secondary schools to be the lowest level ever in the city, and well below the most recent national average figures.
For primary schools, this could be the first time that attendance figures were better than the national average.
The provisional level of absence in city primary schools for autumn 2011 was 4.86 per cent – down from 7.56 per cent for the same period in 2010.
In secondary schools, absences were 5.57 per cent, compared with 7.49 per cent for autumn 2010.
Although like-for-like national figures for the same period won’t be released for comparison until Easter 2013, the latest national figures for autumn 2010 were 5.6 per cent in primary schools and 6.71 per cent in secondary schools.
The success in tackling absence comes after poor attendance levels in 2010, which saw the number of absences rise due to unusually high sickness levels.
The figures from 2009, however, were the best the city had experienced up to that point, with primary absences of 6.4 per cent and secondary absences of 7.08 per cent.
Now the latest provisional figures look set to improve upon those again.
Leicester assistant city mayor responsible for children, young people and schools, Cllr Vi Dempster, said: “I am very pleased with the attendance levels shown in these provisional figures, which would be the best ever for the city, and are the result of hard work by everyone involved.
“This would be great news coming on top of the excellent exam results we’ve had this year and show that our improvement strategies are having a real positive impact.”
Leicester City Council principal education welfare officer, Ellen Collier, added: “The figures are very encouraging and they reflect the consistent approach to tackling absence across all schools, and also the efforts made by school staff, parents and of course, the pupils themselves.
“The focus remains to ensure that all children are able to benefit from the education schools are providing and that where there are barriers, that these are removed.
“The aim has been to intervene earlier using a variety of actions, including support and encouragement, formal meetings where necessary and even prosecution in a small proportion of cases.”
