Revealed: Up to 13,000 pupils a day not in class in Black Country and Staffordshire

In the Black Country, around 8,000 pupils were estimated to have been absent on an average day in the region last year.

In Staffordshire this figure was around 4,800.

The Department for Education says it has given the power to headteachers and local authorities to deal with unauthorised absences from school.

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In Wolverhampton around 1,700 pupils were absent on average, compared to 2,000 in Dudley, 2,300 in Sandwell and 2,000 in Walsall.

Walsall and Dudley were the two worst boroughs for pupils missing lesson time, with secondary school students missing 5.7 per cent of their teaching time over the course of the year.

Wolverhampton was the best at five per cent.

Staffordshire boasted the best percentage of primary pupils missing lesson time at four per cent, with the worst being Dudley at 4.5 per cent.

Dudley, along with Walsall, also had the highest percentage of persistent absentees in secondary school.

Both boroughs saw 15 per cent of its secondary school pupils persistently absent last year, compared to 13 per cent in Sandwell, Staffordshire and Wolverhampton.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "The Education Secretary has made clear, persistent absence from school is a society-wide challenge that we all need to work together to resolve - and while significant progress has been made, today's data shows that has now plateaued.

"High quality education and pastoral care will make a real difference to children's life chances, and that's particularly important for those who are most vulnerable, but clearly key initiatives will only work if children are present.

"That's why the rules on term-time absences are clear: no child should be taken out of school without good reason.

"We have put head teachers back in control by supporting them - and local authorities - to use their powers to deal with unauthorised absence."

How the figures break down:

Wolverhampton:

More than 1,500 pupils were missing from Wolverhampton’s schools every day last year, new figures show.

Department for Education figures show that the city’s state secondary school pupils missed five per cent of their lesson time in the 2017-18 academic year.

Of those absences, more than 35 per cent were unauthorised, including truancy or for family holidays for which permission had not been granted.

And 13 per cent of the 15,309 pupils enrolled in secondary schools were classed as persistently absent, meaning they missed 10 per cent of their total learning time.

Wolverhampton’s state primary school pupils missed 4.2 per cent of their lesson time on average, with more than 35 per cent of absences unauthorised. Among primary pupils, 10 per cent were persistent absentees.

Absence rates remained the same in secondary schools compared to 2016-17, when 4.9 per cent of sessions were missed, and also remained the same at 4.2 per cent in primary schools.

In total, it means around 1,700 pupils were missing from primary and secondary school on the average day in 2017-18.

Spokesman Paul Brown said: “Pupil absence rates in Wolverhampton have reduced considerably over recent years. In the 2017-18 academic year, the absence rate in Wolverhampton’s primary schools was 4.2 per cent, below the West Midlands average and down from 5.4 per cent five years ago. while at secondary level the absence rate was 5 per cent, down from 6.4 per cent five years ago and considerably below both the national and West Midlands average.”

Sandwell:

Sandwell’s state secondary school pupils missed 5.3 per cent of their lesson time in the 2017-18 academic year.

Of those absences, 45 per cent were unauthorised, including truancy or for family holidays for which permission had not been granted.

And 13 per cent of the 19,951 pupils enrolled in secondary schools were classed as persistently absent, meaning they missed 10 per cent of their total learning time.

Sandwell’s state primary school pupils missed 4.3 per cent of their lesson time on average, with 35 per cent of absences unauthorised. Among primary pupils, 10 per cent were persistent absentees.

Absence rates remained the same in secondary schools compared to 2016-17, when 5.3 per cent of sessions were missed, but increased slightly from 4.1 per cent in primary schools.

In total, it means around 2,300 pupils were missing from primary and secondary school on the average day in 2017-18.

Asked what Sandwell Council was doing to ensure pupil’s did not miss crucial education time, director Chris Ward said: “Based on the pupil’s attendance record and the information received from education providers, we assess whether the legal thresholds for unauthorised leave of absence and or irregular attendance have been met.

“By working with partners in a range of support services we challenge parents, pupils and education providers to enable children to aspire, attend and achieve leading to positive futures for the children of Sandwell.

Walsall:

Walsall’s state secondary school pupils missed 5.7 per cent of their lesson time in the 2017-18 academic year.

Of those absences, more than 35 per cent were unauthorised, including truancy or for family holidays for which permission had not been granted.

And 15 per cent of the 17,949 pupils enrolled in secondary schools were classed as persistently absent, meaning they missed 10% of their total learning time.

Walsall’s state primary school pupils missed 4.3 per cent of their lesson time on average, with more than 35 per cent of absences unauthorised. Among primary pupils, nine per cent were persistent absentees.

Absence rates increased slightly in secondary schools compared to 2016-17, when 5.6 per cent of sessions were missed, and also increased slightly from 4.1 per cent in primary schools.

In total, it means around 2,000 pupils were missing from primary and secondary school on the average day in 2017-18.

Staffordshire:

Staffordshire's state secondary school pupils missed 5.5 per cent of their lesson time in the 2017-18 academic year.

Of those absences, more than 20 per cent were unauthorised, including truancy or for family holidays for which permission had not been granted.

And 13 per cent of the 47,057 pupils enrolled in secondary schools were classed as persistently absent, meaning they missed 10 per cent of their total learning time.

Staffordshire’s state primary school pupils missed four per cent of their lesson time on average, with more than 20 per cent of absences unauthorised. Among primary pupils, eight per cent were persistent absentees.

Absence rates increased slightly in secondary schools compared to 2016-17, when 5.2 per cent of sessions were missed, and also increased slightly from 3.8 per cent in primary schools.

In total, it means around 4,800 pupils were missing from primary and secondary school on the average day in 2017-18.