April 14, 2014 10.07 am This story is over 118 months old

Fewer Lincolnshire pupils skipping school

Truancy falling: Fewer children in Lincolnshire are regularly absent from school, according to the latest figures.

The number of children skipping or taking unauthorised leave from school in Lincolnshire has fallen, despite still being the second highest for truancy in the region.

According to new data from the Department for Education, in the 2012/13 year 4,286 children were considered consistent truants in the county out of the 87,097 enrolled at school.

This is a fall of 30% in comparison to previous data recorded in 2010, when some 6,203 pupils skipped school.

In Lincoln, there were 667 children recorded as persistent absentees, 6.4% of the total number enrolled within the city (10,450).

The district with the highest proportion of absentees is East Lindsey, with 753 regularly absent from school, and West Lindsey having a low figure of just 399.

However, Lincolnshire still faces the second highest number of children skipping school in the East Midlands, after Nottinghamshire.

The figures reflect the national statistic though that truancy is down in the country, with 130,000 fewer pupils regularly missing school.

Data found 300,895 UK pupils were persistently absent in 2012 to 2013, a fall of almost a third from 433,130 in 2010.

Lincoln MP Karl McCartney said: “The evidence shows that persistent absence for school has a serious detrimental effect on pupils’ performance and so it is great news that, thanks to this government’s actions, truancy has dramatically reduced in Lincoln.

“This government is reintroducing rigour into our schools, ensuring high standards of discipline are maintained, and our EBacc means that more young people are studying for the key academic subjects that will help them secure a job.”