Children in care are more likely to skip school -but not in Kirklees.
Across England some 5% of looked after children played truant in the last school year, is almost half a per cent higher than those who live at home with parents.
In nearby Lancashire, youngsters looked after by Manchester, Stockport and Rochdale councils are all more likely to play truant than all schoolchildren in those boroughs. In Manchester, 5% of all children were classed as persistent absentees, compared with 8.4% of children in care.
However, the opposite is true in Kirklees, where the council has an excellent record of ensuring, where possible, that children in care are not missing school without a good reason.
In our borough, some 4% of children are persistent absentees. But only 2.6% of children in care take unauthorised absences.
Kirklees Council puts its success down to monitoring absences on a weekly basis and close partnerships with local schools.
A spokesman said: “It’s pleasing that attendance levels for looked after children in Kirklees continue to be higher than the national average. We monitor attendance very closely so that we can act quickly whenever this is needed.
“In the majority of cases, attendance figures are collected on a weekly basis and we can respond almost immediately if a looked after child is excluded or has an unauthorised absence. Social workers are informed about any exclusions and regular updates are provided for children whose attendance is falling below expectations.
“It is made clear to carers that we expect our looked after children to attend school regularly and on time. Taking early steps when this doesn’t happen allows us to offer support as soon as possible, to both carers and schools”.
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