The number of children absent from secondary schools in Wales has dropped, according to figures released by the Welsh Government.
The overall attendance rate in Wales’ secondary schools for 2011/12 has improved by 0.8% on the previous year.
The Welsh Government has said this is the largest single year-on-year improvement seen over the last seven years. Attendance now stands at 92.2%, improving in every local authority area.
In Caerphilly County Borough, the attendance rate was 91.7% – an increase of 1% compared to the previous year.
Education Minister Leighton Andrews said: “These encouraging figures suggest the actions we’re taking to improve attendance levels in Wales are starting to have an impact.
“We have put in place a number of measures to improve attendance in our schools. Our Behaviour and Attendance Analysis Framework uses robust data to identify attendance problems at an early stage. The introduction of secondary school banding, where absenteeism data forms a part in determining a school’s band, also appears to have been a factor in these new, improved statistics.
“Although the data shows we’re moving in the right direction we can not afford to be complacent. The level of unauthorised absences in Wales, despite the fact they’ve gone down, still remains a concern.
“It is important to remember; when a child is not in school that child is not learning. Persistent absenteeism can have a detrimental effect on a child’s education. We want to ensure that all children are in school and learning so they can get the best from their education.”