The statistics show a drop in the number of pupils who miss more than 15 per cent of lessons, from 6.8 per cent in 2009/10 to 6.1 per cent in 2010/11. But ministers remain concerned that there are still 392,305 pupils in this category.
Across all state funded primary, secondary and special schools this core of persistent truants account for 26.6 per cent of all pupil absence.
Schools minister Nick Gibb said: "A hard core of almost 400,000 pupils still missed at least a month of school. We should not underestimate the impact of this on their future prospects.
"The effect that poor attendance at school can have on a child’s education can be permanent and damaging. Children who attend school regularly are four times more likely to achieve five or more good GCSEs, including English and maths, than those who are persistently absent."
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