Boost in School Attendance in Merthyr Following Parent Fines for Children Skipping Days
A recent report from the Merthyr Tydfil Council delivers promising news regarding school attendance in the area. The report indicates that there has been a significant increase in school attendance among pupils who were fined for unauthorised absences or term-time holidays in the previous year.
According to the report presented to the council’s learning and local government education services committee, out of the 534 pupils who were issued fines in the 2023-24 academic year, 441 pupils showed improved attendance after the penalties were enforced. Of these fines, 164 were related to unauthorised absences, while 370 were for term-time holidays.
The data from the autumn term of 2024-25 reveals that 281 pupils have already been fined, with 151 for unauthorised absences and 130 for term-time holidays. However, the report notes that the full impact of these fines on attendance improvement for this term is not yet available, as the 42-day payment period is still ongoing.
In 2023-24, Merthyr Tydfil’s secondary attendance rate ranked 22nd out of 22 Welsh councils, standing at 86.22%, 1.8% below the national average of 88%. This represented a decline from the previous year, where the area was 17th out of 22 councils with an attendance rate of 86.3%.
On a positive note, the overall attendance for primary schools in the autumn term of 2024-25 increased to 92.12%, up from 92.08% in the previous year and 90.59% in 2022-23. Similarly, secondary school attendance improved to 88.62% in the autumn of 2024-25 from 86.5% in the previous year and 85.8% in 2022-23.
The report highlighted specific areas where attendance could be further improved. For instance, years one and two had lower attendance rates compared to the overall primary school average, while years nine to eleven exhibited lower attendance compared to the secondary school average.
The primary reasons for absences during the autumn term included high levels of term-time holidays, sickness cases such as hand-foot-and-mouth disease, chickenpox, scarlet fever, earaches, whooping cough, and chest infections, as well as ongoing medical and mental health issues.
Furthermore, the report mentioned a noticeable reduction in persistent absenteeism since the introduction of a new threshold in September 2023, which categorises students with an absence level exceeding 10% as persistent absentees. Secondary schools in Merthyr Tydfil recorded a 3.74% decrease in persistent absenteeism at the 80% threshold and a 5.24% decrease at the 90% threshold.
While primary schools saw a modest decrease in persistent absenteeism at the 80% threshold, there was a slight increase at the 90% threshold, attributed to high sickness levels. The report also acknowledged challenges posed by families booking term-time holidays and various anxiety and social issues impacting attendance rates.
Overall, the council expressed optimism regarding the progress observed in tackling absenteeism and highlighted the importance of ongoing support and intervention to maintain and further improve school attendance in Merthyr Tydfil.
In conclusion, the efforts to enforce fines for unauthorised absences and term-time holidays have shown promising results in boosting school attendance levels in Merthyr, illustrating a positive step towards fostering a culture of regular attendance and engagement in education within the community.