The new truancy statistics for England show that huge numbers of children were absent without authorisation at some point last year -  not just a hard core of miscreants.

Furthermore, there are wide variations between the incidences of truancy in different parts of the country.

Across the country as a whole, more than a fifth of secondary school pupils - 21% - were absent without permission
at some stage, on average for 15 "half days" - the measure used in the official statistics.

15% of primary school pupils were away for eight half days on average.

Almost everyone took some unauthorised leave during schooltime - 92% of the pupils in primary schools and 93% of
those in secondary schools.

On average they were away from primary schools for 17 half days and in secondary schools the figure rose to an average 23 half days.

Highlights from the government statistics include:

    * Just 2% of secondary school pupils are estimated to be responsible for almost half of unauthorised absences from schools across the country
    * School attendance is now at record levels, with 17,000 more pupils regularly attending school every day in the last year
    * Overall absences from all schools in England were down this year by 0.26% to 6.57%
    * At secondary level, unauthorised absences have fallen by 3.9% on last year
    * A total of 2,784,834 secondary pupils (92.4%) took unauthorised absence through the year, averaging 23 half days
    * A total of 696,328 secondary pupils (23%) played truant, on average for 15 half days
    * The LEAs with the highest rates of unauthorised abscence at secondary level are Knowsley and Bradford
    * The LEAs with the lowest rates of unauthorised abscence at secondary level are Northumberland and the Isles of Scilly

Truancy sweeps held in February/March 2005
 140 out of 150 Local Education Authorities participated in the national truancy sweeps held between 28 February and 18 March  2005. 12,808 children were stopped in the period.  Again feedback from LEAs demonstrated a multi agency approach. Including  individuals from schools, Education Welfare Services, Police, Youth Offending Teams and the DfES came together to work towards reducing truancy and to raise the profile of school attendance.

About 1200 truancy sweeps stopped 12,808 children:
• of whom nearly 6,000 did not have a valid reason for not being at school
• of those with no valid reason 22% were primary school children and 78% were from secondary schools
• 31% of the truants were accompanied by an adult
• 61% of truants were male compared to 39% female