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Truancy

Mr. Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Employment how many school truancies were recorded during the last 12 months in each local education authority area; and if he will make a statement. [148311]

Jacqui Smith: The number of half-days missed as a result of unauthorised absence (truancy) by pupils; and the percentage of those half-days missed, for each local authority area in England in 1999-2000 (the latest figures available) are shown in the table.

Although there has been some significant improvement in attendance levels, too many children are still missing school without good reason. Over half of these are primary school children, most of whom will be absent with their parents' consent. That is why, last autumn, we announced a renewed drive to tackle truancy including extra resources available to schools and LEAs to tackle poor behaviour, with truancy the top priority. £174 million will be available in 2001-02--10 times the level in 1996-97. We have also begun a co-ordinated nationwide programme of truancy sweeps to pick up youngsters who should be in school. In addition, our Excellence in Cities programme is being expanded to provide more on-site learning mentors in schools to support children with barriers to attending school and learning. We are also asking schools with above average truancy records to set new targets for attendance. On 28 February, I am giving "Truancy Buster" awards of up to £10,000 to up to 50 schools in the country which have done the most to reduce truancy. From 1 March, the provisions of the Criminal Justice and Court Services Act 2000 will come into effect with higher fines for the parents of persistent truants. And from 1 April, the first Connexions Service Partnerships will start, and will give priority to improving attendance at school for all young people aged 13 and over. All these measures are designed to help schools improve attendance and learning.

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 339W

Unauthorised absence in maintained primary and secondary schools 1999-2000

Primary schools Secondary schools Primary and secondary schools
Number of half days missedPercentage of half days missedNumber of half days missedPercentage of half days missedNumber of half days missedPercentage of half days missed
Barking and Dagenham60,8891.451,3011.7112,1901.5
Barnet34,4890.558,2441.192,7330.8
Barnsley43,0250.873,6751.9116,7001.3
Bath and North East Somerset11,8870.318,6510.630,5380.5
Bedfordshire18,6510.349,0490.567,7000.4
Bexley17,8590.347,7791.165,6380.7
Birmingham186,7300.7294,4111.6481,1411.1
Blackburn with Darwen20,3860.538,8101.459,1960.9
Blackpool27,9280.843,5811.971,5091.3
Bolton16,9470.262,5951.279,5420.6
Bournemouth16,3730.620,4350.836,8080.7
Bracknell Forest5,5380.214,5180.920,0560.5
Bradford95,9430.9215,8692.0311,8121.4
Brent32,6720.638,5191.071,1910.8
Brighton and Hove27,4420.630,6831.058,1250.8
Bristol, City of71,3900.9109,7062.2181,0961.4
Bromley25,3390.430,3570.655,6960.5
Buckinghamshire22,1320.243,2180.565,3500.3
Bury18,2770.417,6440.535,9210.4
Calderdale16,9450.328,2190.745,1640.5
Cambridgeshire46,6180.467,4520.8114,0700.6
Camden33,9481.239,3951.573,3431.4
Cheshire52,5390.388,5810.7141,1200.5
Cornwall36,9150.336,7790.473,6940.4
Coventry27,6710.472,4081.3100,0790.8
Croydon38,3080.527,7780.666,0860.5
Cumbria16,3350.150,9950.667,3300.3
Darlington5,8930.228,0631.633,9560.8
Derby City39,6970.732,4640.872,1610.7
Derbyshire49,7830.3122,5840.9172,3670.6
Devon39,9470.3108,4191.0148,3660.6
Doncaster35,5330.5130,2782.3165,8111.3
Dorset20,9820.341,8790.562,8610.4
Dudley23,1450.343,3100.766,4550.5
Durham13,0600.196,2851.1109,3450.5
Ealing29,7200.544,8991.274,6190.7
East Riding of Yorkshire15,0190.252,3120.967,3310.5
East Sussex44,4060.487,6241.1132,0300.7
Enfield70,2781.188,2211.7158,4991.4
Essex101,1180.3200,4080.9301,5260.6
Gateshead18,2520.444,2441.362,4960.8
Gloucestershire32,4130.347,3150.579,7280.4
Greenwich69,3011.470,9531.9140,2541.6
Hackney62,4691.544,2462.2106,7151.7
Halton21,7240.740,3201.662,0441.1
Hammersmith and Fulham29,9171.234,3372.264,2541.6
Hampshire89,5340.3166,7870.8256,3210.5
Haringey88,8072.069,2912.3158,0982.1
Harrow24,7640.518,7960.743,5600.6
Hartlepool17,2070.731,7261.648,9331.1
Havering8,7500.223,4330.532,1830.3
Herefordshire9,4440.218,1320.627,5760.4
Hertfordshire70,9340.3123,5020.6194,4360.5
Hillingdon55,5780.959,5541.4115,1321.1
Hounslow42,3070.937,8710.980,1780.9
Isle of Wight3,1200.223,5850.726,7050.5
Isles of Scilly590.1230.1820.1
Islington47,3291.240,5972.087,9261.5
Kensington and Chelsea11,9360.816,9461.828,8821.2
Kent113,6970.4139,6850.6253,3820.5
Kingston upon Hull, City of49,5970.8136,5442.9186,1411.7
Kingston upon Thames9,4320.319,8960.929,3280.6
Kirklees56,2350.694,5211.2150,7560.9
Knowsley28,1880.791,9453.1120,1331.6
Lambeth47,3821.120,3501.067,7321.1
Lancashire99,4900.3181,5470.8281,0370.6
Leeds85,1300.5249,8392.0334,9691.2
Leicester City38,7110.592,1601.9130,8711.1
Leicestershire22,5440.2140,7581.2163,3020.6
Lewisham81,2701.596,5452.9177,8152.1
Lincolnshire42,3900.395,0010.8137,3910.5
Liverpool67,4990.6138,8571.6206,3561.0
London, City of1,0241.90-1,0241.9
Luton25,8020.529,9570.955,7590.7
Manchester94,7040.9125,8591.9220,5631.3
Medway24,4870.452,9771.077,4640.7
Merton21,1640.638,3361.759,5001.0
Middlesbrough20,0050.542,6281.662,6331.0
Milton Keynes21,5880.415,9880.537,5760.4
Newcastle upon Tyne24,3970.561,4911.385,8880.9
Newham112,7991.7138,7442.7251,5432.1
Norfolk81,3210.4111,6080.9192,9290.6
North East Lincolnshire13,3570.361,3501.874,7071.0
North Lincolnshire7,5590.234,0171.141,5760.6
North Somerset12,2890.323,2560.735,5450.5
North Tyneside3,9070.123,3620.627,2690.3
North Yorkshire18,9330.248,3730.567,3060.3
Northamptonshire60,4250.4101,0310.8161,4560.6
Northumberland6,5450.132,9560.439,5010.3
Nottingham, City of64,1120.9121,2712.9185,3831.7
Nottinghamshire65,4480.4198,4751.3263,9230.8
Oldham31,3540.570,7781.4102,1320.9
Oxfordshire38,4260.3131,7741.3170,2000.8
Peterborough, City of29,2980.730,7680.960,0660.8
Plymouth, City of21,5940.427,5650.649,1590.5
Poole14,3470.511,5890.625,9360.5
Portsmouth31,5890.854,9041.886,4931.2
Reading26,2310.912,1160.838,3470.9
Redbridge41,7550.828,6710.670,4260.7
Redcar and Cleveland7,9700.237,0271.144,9970.6
Richmond upon Thames8,0310.343,1291.851,1600.9
Rochdale24,4800.455,9141.480,3940.8
Rotherham42,5930.664,0381.2106,6310.9
Rutland5100.14,0450.64,5550.3
Salford34,1180.649,4081.383,5260.9
Sandwell34,5690.586,7841.5121,3530.9
Sefton16,0170.238,4030.754,4200.4
Sheffield113,9201.0152,4581.8266,3781.3
Shropshire8,0190.127,5930.635,6120.3
Slough25,6870.922,5781.148,2651.0
Solihull11,3210.223,3300.534,6510.4
Somerset23,3540.239,9780.563,3320.3
South Gloucestershire18,1550.358,4871.476,6420.7
South Tyneside5,0510.114,0090.419,0600.3
Southampton36,3410.838,3651.174,7060.9
Southend24,8650.740,6521.465,5171.0
Southwark84,6891.655,3991.9140,0881.7
St. Helens9,1090.235,0311.044,1400.6
Staffordshire39,7980.286,3040.5126,1020.4
Stockport32,6700.550,0481.082,7180.7
Stockton on Tees6,3110.123,3330.629,6440.3
Stoke on Trent29,3780.550,4351.279,8130.8
Suffolk25,4760.280,4620.6105,9380.4
Sunderland12,8090.257,6741.070,4830.6
Surrey50,5390.2108,2670.7158,8060.5
Sutton14,3160.413,8920.428,2080.4
Swindon16,2810.426,8730.843,1540.5
Tameside13,7430.251,5921.165,3350.6
Telford and Wrekin18,4810.528,0571.046,5380.7
Thurrock21,8490.632,2371.354,0860.9
Torbay7,2260.321,4941.028,7200.6
Tower Hamlets77,5421.597,7312.5175,2732.0
Trafford12,3770.231,4550.743,8320.5
Wakefield46,4490.641,6790.788,1280.6
Walsall44,6140.742,7500.887,3640.7
Waltham Forest36,2800.752,7731.489,0531.0
Wandsworth26,9600.620,9730.847,9330.7
Warrington13,0820.320,2310.533,3130.4
Warwickshire20,3010.261,0750.781,3760.4
West Berkshire7,5250.210,8840.418,4090.3
West Sussex37,5780.280,8980.7118,4760.4
Westminster, City of19,1350.963,4643.182,5992.0
Wigan25,3070.364,5731.089,8800.6
Wiltshire30,4710.346,4270.676,8980.5
Windsor and Maidenhead9,6080.414,9080.624,5160.5
Wirral29,3950.437,8380.667,2330.5
Wokingham10,0070.310,2840.420,2910.3
Wolverhampton42,5450.755,4421.397,9870.9
Worcestershire32,7720.384,5090.8117,2810.6
York, City of12,4440.323,2241.135,6680.6
England5,223,6950.59,164,9621.014,388,6570.7

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 345W

26 Feb 2001 : Column: 345W


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