Fears school attendance won't recover until 2034

Secondary school attendance rates could take a decade to recover to pre-pandemic levels, an Estyn report has found.

Data from 2023-2024 found while overall attendance for secondary schools had increased to 89%, pupils are missing on average of nearly 11 days of education more per year than they were before the Covid-19 pandemic.

Estyn warned that at the current rate of improvement, it would take more than 10 years for attendance rates to recover to pre-pandemic levels.

Ian Loynd, head teacher of St Teilo's Church in Wales High School, Cardiff, said chronic absenteeism is a "huge issue" which they were working hard to tackle.