Persistant truancy in English state schools has increased by two per cent this year, figures published on Wednesday reveal.
Truancy has reached the point where 450,330 children, or 7.2 per cent, are missing a month's worth of lessons every year. Each week, more than a million pupils are missing half a day or more of school unauthorised.
Pupils eligible for free school meals remained more likely to play truant than all other pupils, but the highest rate was among children with special educational needs, the research by the Department for Education revealed. Pupils at School Action Plus, which is the secondary schools special needs programme, are absent as much as high as nine per cent of the school day.
Schools Minister Nick Gibb said the extent of long-term absence from school in England was "worrying".
"Much of the work children miss when they are off school is never made up, leaving them at a considerable disadvantage to their peers", he said.
Of pupils who miss between 10 per cent and 20 per cent of school days, only 35 per cent manage to achieve five GCSEs at A* to C grade, whereas out of the students who miss less than five per cent of school, 73 per cent achieved five A* to Cs.
The Government's expert adviser on behaviour, Charlie Taylor, explained that good primary schools should take a "zero tolerance" approach to absenteeism: "In my experience as a head-teacher, the earlier poor patterns of attendance are addressed by schools, the less likely it is that it will become a persistent issue".
Previously schools did not act until a pupil was absent for 20 per cent or more of the time, which is the equivalent of six weeks of work a year. This was lowered to 15 per cent. Ministers are considering lowering this threshold still further to crack down on the problem.
Christine Blower, secretary of the national union of teachers (NUT), described the rise in truancy as a "hard truth" which had no quick solution.
"The effect of regular absenteeism from school on a pupil’s confidence and ability to understand what is being taught in the classroom is greatly affected."
“A relevant and flexible curriculum, free from repetitive tests and targets, would go a long way to ensuring all our pupils remain engaged in the education process and that schools are places of creative, vibrant learning", she added.