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Blackpool's truancy shame
BLACKPOOL has been named one of the worst five places in the country for truancy.
And teachers have blamed parents for allowing children to miss school to go on holiday.
Figures show 8.1 per cent of pupils missed more than 27 sessions in school.
This was the third highest in the North West and joint fifth highest in the country.
In Lancashire, including Fylde and Wyre, pupil absence in the autumn term was 5.7. The national average was 5.4. More than 39,000 sessions
were missed in Blackpool because of unauthorised absence.
John Topping, deputy head teacher at Bispham High School, said: "Schools are very sensitive to the fact a lot of families decide to take their holidays in term time and this has a devastating effect on a child's education and affects the statistics.
"We are doing everything we can to stress education is paramount and not to disrupt the children's education by taking a two week break in term time."
Education bosses in Blackpool are clamping down on children skipping school with regular truancy sweeps.
David Lund, executive director for children's services in Blackpool, said: "Attendance levels are improving and there is a clear link between pupils with high attendance and those achieving well in exams.
"We do all we can to work with parents and pupils to remove any obstacles preventing them from attending school.
"Recently we've made significant progress in reducing persistent absences in secondary school pupils. Unfortunately truancy will always be a problem, but in Blackpool improvements are being made."
Only Manchester, Knowsley in Merseyside, Hull and Nottingshire had worse figures than Blackpool, which was joint fifth with Middlesbrough.
Frances Molloy, schools attendance lead for Lancashire County Council, said: "Figures do not always tell the full story and we are working with
schools to reduce all absence, authorised and unauthorised.
"District figures are not yet available, but it is fair to say that absence rates for Fylde and Wyre tend to be the same as, or lower than for the county as a whole."
Earlier this year, The Gazette revealed three of Blackpool high's schools – Palatine, Collegiate and Beacon Hill – were among the worst in the country for children skipping lessons.
In 2008 at Palatine almost one in five children were "persistently
absent" – a term referring to pupils whose attendance dipped below 80 per cent.
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Weather for Blackpool
Thursday 09 February 2012
Today
Light sleet
Temperature: 1 C to 3 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: South east
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Light sleet
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