Covid: Wales' school absences double since pandemic

The number of children off school has more than doubled in the past academic year, compared to pre-pandemic levels.

On average, 16.3% of secondary school pupils were absent during 2021-22, up from 6.2% in 2018-19, Welsh government figures show. Absences of pupils from poorer backgrounds was higher.

School leaders said some pupils have "simply got out of the habit of regular attendance and never fully re-engaged".

The Welsh government said it spent ?4m on its family engagement officer roles.

In primary schools, 11% of pupils were absent, compared to 5.4% pre-Covid.

The absence rate averaged nearly 18% for children entitled to free school meals, compared to 11.8% of pupils not entitled.

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Rates were broadly similar for eight years before the Covid pandemic brought huge disruption to the way schools operated.

In the first set of figures since teaching returned fully to the classrooms, rates have spiked to 13.2% across all schools.