Chester MP Stephen Mosley has welcomed the news that the number of pupils persistently skipping school in West Cheshire has fallen by more than a quarter since 2010.
In 2010 there were 2,807 persistent truanters across West Cheshire.
Last year, that number had fallen to 2,060 – a drop of 747.
Across the country, 7.7 million fewer school days were lost to overall absence last year than four years ago (49.3 million days in 2012 to 2013 compared to 57 million days in 2009 to 2010).
Chester’s MP described the measures as a response to this Government’s attempts to put rigour back at the heart of the education system.
Measures introduced by the Government to boost discipline include encouraging schools to tackle the problem of persistent absence earlier and increasing fines for truancy.
Welcoming the news, Chester MP Stephen Mosley said: “On this issue, the evidence is clear: truanting has a serious detrimental effect on pupils’ educational performance.
“It’s great news – our schools are getting better and better and truancy has plummeted in Chester.
“I travel around Chester’s schools talking to young people all year round.
“When I do, I see hardworking teachers, determined to deliver the highest quality education for our young people, and young people who love their schools.”
The evidence shows absence from school has a significant negative effect on attainment. Of pupils who miss between 10% and 20% of school, only 39% achieve at least 5 A* to C GCSEs including English and maths. This compares to 73% of pupils who miss less than 5% of school.
