Figures released as part of a new campaign to get thousands of "persistently absent" schoolchildren back into the classroom highlight how more than 30,000 pupils missed school regularly across the North East last year.
The data, held by the Department for Education, has been shared by the "Class of 10,000" campaign, which is being launched by the Minerva Virtual Academy along with charities Square Peg and Not Fine in School. The campaign is seeking to highlight how online education can help those currently missing out.
According to the figures, in 2021/2022, there were 5,162 pupils persistently absent in Newcastle, 3,433 in Gateshead, 5,373 in Northumberland, 5,049 in Sunderland, 8,896 in County Durham, 3,105 in North Tyneside and 2,385 in South Tyneside. Each of the seven authorities saw a huge jump in this figure compared to 2020/2021 - when remote learning was the norm during the pandemic.
