A report by the Children's Commissioner in the UK has revealed that approximately 20,000 students who finished their GCSEs last summer had missed half or more of their classes in one of their final two years of school.
The study found that just one in 20 children who skipped half their lessons in both Year 10 and Year 11 achieved at least five GCSEs, including English and maths. This absenteeism is seen as a significant risk to students' academic success.
The report calls for a culture of regular attendance in schools and emphasizes the need for a multi-agency approach involving GPs, social workers, and other professionals to address this issue effectively.