A RECORD level of pupils were severely absent - meaning they missed at least half of all their school sessions - from school in the autumn term last year in Barnsley, it has been revealed.
Figures from the Department for Education show 815 pupils in Barnsley were severely absent in the 2024/25 autumn term.
They accounted for 2.6 per cent of pupils - up from 2.4 per cent the year before and the highest since comparable records began in 2016/17.
Meanwhile, 19.2 per cent of pupils in the area were persistently absent, missing ten per cent or more of sessions.
Across England, the proportion of severely absent pupils in the recent autumn term also reached a record high at two per cent of students.
Yet, the rate of persistently absent pupils fell from 19.4 per cent in autumn 2023/24 to 17.8 per cent last year.
Margaret Mulholland, SEND and inclusion specialist at the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “It is troubling that, even as absence rates are coming down overall, the percentage of pupils missing at least 50 per cent of their education is rising.
“We need to focus on helping these pupils overcome the barriers preventing them from being in school on a regular basis.
“This means investing in attendance services, liaising directly with families to identify the issues at play and then ensuring specialist support is available as soon as required.
General secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT Paul Whiteman said the figures are a ‘small step in the right direction’, but warned there is ‘a long way to go’ to improve attendance.
He added: “Schools work tirelessly to ensure children are in the classroom, but they alone are not equipped to address all the deep-seated reasons for absence which can range from routine sickness to mental ill health and social challenges facing children and families, including poverty.
“Fining parents is a crude tool which does not address many of the root causes, what is needed is better support for families and schools.”
Coun Ashley Peace, cabinet spokesperson for children’s services, told the Chronicle: “We understand the impact of pupils not being in school due to extended and repeated absence and we want pupils to be in school every day.
"We know this is a challenge nationally, and locally through the Barnsley School Alliance, we are working in close partnership with all our schools and academies to address the issue and continue to drive our “Every Child in School Every Day plan.
"Our data demonstrates that our attendance picture for children at primary is above the national picture and at secondary phase our attendance trajectory is improving.
"Extensive work is taking place with school leaders and chief executives from multi academy trusts to make sure attendance remains a key priority at all schools, because we want children and young people to thrive in their education and attend every day."
