---

Dept for Education and Skills

Answer

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many half-days have been lost owing to unauthorised absence of pupils in (a) Greater London and (b) each London borough in each year since 2002-03 (i) in absolute terms and (ii) as a proportion of the total number of half-days. [220108] Derek Twigg: The information requested is shown in the following table: Unauthorised absence in primary and secondary schools in Greater London _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Academic year 2002/03 Academic year 2003/04 Number of half days Percentage half days Number of half days Percentage half days missed missed missed missed Greater London 2,671,594 1.02 2,665,298 0.99 Barking and Dagenham 119,169 1.60 121,981 1.60 Barnet 87,718 0.74 99,017 0.83 Bexley 50,333 0.51 74,947 0.71 Brent 57,691 0.61 68,193 0.70 Bromley 87,561 0.73 96,235 0.78 Camden 55,645 1.14 42,197 0.84 Croydon 110,841 0.87 119,055 0.92 Ealing 48,907 0.49 49,137 0.48 Enfield 173,070 1.44 140,460 1.11 Greenwich 166,073 1.85 180,309 1.94 Hackney 105,774 1.62 90,997 1.40 Hammersmith and Fulham 48,180 1.19 49,281 1.16 Haringey 129,538 1.63 122,052 1.41 Harrow 25,072 0.32 22,373 0.28 Havering 37,431 0.39 40,453 0.41 Hillingdon 111,853 1.10 100,667 0.97 Hounslow 95,439 1.11 101,909 1.16 Islington 80,662 1.36 70,282 1.14 Kensington and Chelsea 24,846 0.97 16,707 0.62 Kingston upon Thames 17,616 0.35 13,147 0.27 Lambeth 62,317 0.92 59,449 0.82 Lewisham 136,429 1.57 140,500 1.55 London, City of 0 0 152 0.29 Merton 41,819 0.77 43,868 0.76 Newham 150,817 1.29 117,667 0.94 Redbridge 76,663 0.73 90,365 0.85 Richmond upon Thames 56,648 1.09 57,358 1.04 Southwark 157,226 1.75 155,229 1.66 Sutton 35,024 0.46 39,458 0.51 Tower Hamlets 138,820 1.56 141,381 1.53 Waltham Forest 81,085 0.90 100,796 1.07 Wandsworth 52,766 0.78 43,182 0.66 Westminster, City of 48,561 1.08 56,494 1.18 _________________________________________________________________________________________________. Unauthorised absence is absence without leave from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. It includes pupils who are late or who take time off with parents' consent--for example for a holiday which the school will not authorise.

Secondary information

Type

Written question

Reference

220108; 431 c1423-4W;431 c1417-8W

Session

2004-05

Subjects

Greater London Truancy

Contains statistics

Yes

Link

View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk