, Minister for Education and
Welsh Language: I welcome Estyn’s report on attendance rates
in Secondary Schools since the removal of restrictions in place
as a result of the pandemic, and its publication in January.
We know how important regular school attendance is in terms
of learner outcomes, standards, and progression. I’m pleased
therefore, that this report coincides with an improvement in
average attendance rates for this school year to date which
now stands at 90.5%, up from 88.3% over the same period last
year.
While this improvement is very welcome, I am not suggesting that
this is the extent of our ambition or that there is not room to
improve further. I remain committed to ensuring there is a
relentless focus on continuing to improve attendance. This is
particularly so for learners who we know are more likely to be
absent, such as those who are eligible for free school meals.
That is why we will continue to work with parents, children,
local authorities and schools to remove barriers to attendance
and drive sustained improvement.
Estyn’s report also sets out some concerning trends, such as the
large variation in attendance rates in individual schools. We are
already considering, along with the National Attendance
Taskforce, what additional data analysis is required to
understand geographical trends as well as exploring cluster
development to support schools in sharing best practice and
maximising the support and services available within individual
areas.
Another concerning finding was the use of part-time timetables in
ways that were not planned or reviewed regularly enough to
provide pupils with more support to return to good attendance
levels.
I have previously outlined my concerns about the use of part-time
timetables. As part of a formal plan, such as a reintegration
plan, part-time timetables can help learners re-integrate into a
school after a long absence; or be a means of preventing greater
absence; but it can also have a negative impact on learner
progress and wellbeing, placing further pressures on families and
lead to further disengagement from education. The Belonging, engaging and
participating guidance provides clarity in
relation to the use of part-time timetables in schools but we
intend to publish separate guidance about the use of part-time
timetables, that will include further detail about the use of
part-time timetables for EOTAS pupils and pupils with additional
learning needs.
Welsh Government’s response to the recommendations can be
found here
