Mary Bousted, general secretary of the Association of Teachers and Lecturers, said the school curriculum was " too inflexible".
Figures released by the Department for Education and Skills show unauthorised absences account for one in 10 days missed from schools and have increased by 380,000 pupil days, equivalent to around 2,000 more pupils out of school every day, in 2003/04.
There is still a hardcore of two per cent of secondary school pupils who miss five weeks or more of schooling in a year, accounting for almost half of all unauthorised absence.
The DfES said school attendance was now at record levels, due mainly to a decline in authorised absences, with 17,000 more pupils regularly attending school every day in the last year.
Register Now to Continue Reading
Thank you for visiting Children & Young People Now and making use of our archive of more than 60,000 expert features, topics hubs, case studies and policy updates. Why not register today and enjoy the following great benefits:
What's Included
-
Free access to 4 subscriber-only articles per month
-
Email newsletter providing advice and guidance across the sector
Already have an account? Sign in here
