Almost a quarter of all children in England are persistently absent from school, according to a new government study.School truancy, the temporary or prolonged absence from the classroom without valid reasons such as illness, is very real in England, and the latest government figures show that 1.6M children are “persistently absent” from school. New relaxed attitudes toward school attendance have developed since COVID-19, fuelling school truancy in high numbers. For example, attendance is lower on Fridays, when many parents are working from home, making online-learning at home more appealing than going into the classroom. The study also revealed that among all ages, 15-year-olds are the most involved in school truancy, with a third persistently absent from schools this year so far. (The Guardian)
