This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Minister welcomes improvement in attendance
06/12/2002
Good school attendance is vital if pupils are to get the
most out of education, Minister for Education and Young
People Cathy Jamieson said today.
The latest attendance and absence statistics published
today show a small improvement in both authorised and
unauthorised absence rates for both primary and secondary
schools.
Ms Jamieson said:
"Missing out on education means missing out on
opportunities - both at school and in life after school. I
want young people and their parents to see the benefits of
schooling and ensure regular attendance.
"Today's figures show that things are moving in the
right direction. As in previous years, the vast majority of
absence remains authorised. Parents have a big role to play
in ensuring pupils don't lose time from school
unnecessarily.
"However, unauthorised absence levels are still too
high, and we must continue to tackle this problem. Action
is being taken to promote curriculum flexibility in order
to engage the interest of all young people in learning.
Implementing the recommendations of the Discipline Task
Group on tackling poor discipline and promoting positive
behaviour, and supporting schools in taking tough action on
bullying, will also help.
"Being in school can help every young person to get
ahead in life, and is essential in closing the gap between
those who succeed and those who fall behind."
The bulletin 'Attendance and Absence in Scottish
Schools: 1999/2000 to 2001/2002' is published today. It
shows a decline in authorised absence rates in primary
schools from 5 per cent to 4.7 per cent, and in secondary
schools from 9.8 per cent to 9.6 per cent. Unauthorised
absence has declined slightly from 0.4 per cent to 0.3 per
cent in primary (approximately one half day per pupil), and
has also decreased slightly in secondary (approximately 3
days per pupil). Definitions of authorised and unauthorised
absence are detailed in the statistical news release.
Statistical tables showing information for each local
authority area are available from
www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00218-00.asp..