School attendance in Wales continues to fall again, despite a drop in Covid cases. As pupils break up for the Easter holidays worrying numbers are still missing school.
With exams just weeks away around three in 10 year 13 A level pupils and around two in 10 year 11 GCSE pupils are absent. Nearly 15% of pupils failed to turn up to school in the week of April 4-8.
The latest Welsh Government figures, published on April 13, also show nearly a quarter of all pupils in Wales (115,663) have missed more than a week of face to face learning for a known Covid-related reason since the start of the academic year. In the same period nearly eight in 10 pupils (374,623) have missed more than a week for any reason. Headteachers and teaching unions have warned of their fears over persistently low attendance despite a fall in schools Covid cases. Some have warned children have got out of the habit of going to classes or sticking to timetables during the disruption of the pandemic and you can read more about that here.
The latest Welsh Government school absence report also shows that in the week of April 4-8 a total of 17,720 children were “absent due to Covid” compared to 24,829 the week before and 36,691 the week before that.
On April 8 alone 1,948 secondary school children and 1,462 primary school were absent for known Covid related reasons, but that was also a marked drop on previous weeks. Separate data from Public Health Wales confirms the drop in reported schools Covid cases.
With the ending of most Covid restrictions in the community PHW has stopped collecting or publishing its detailed weekly schools Covid data showing rates in local health authority and council areas . Instead it will now publish the number of positive lateral flows and PCR tests per 100,000 people among children and teenagers across Wales.
The latest new style report shows around 150 confirmed positive PCR tests per 100,000 five to 11 year-olds, 12 to 16 year-olds and 17 to 18 year-olds. There were slightly less among children under five. The data covers the period as of April 4.
Referring to both primary and secondary age children PHW’s report said: “Following a rapid increase in LFT positives and a gradual increase in PCR positives since early March, the detected cases have dropped. In the most recent weeks, there has been a decline in both PCR positive episodes and in LFT positive episodes. A similar pattern is seen in the testing rates for this age group.”
Latest Welsh Government figures for the week April 4-8 shows:
- An average of 86.9% of all pupils attended school, down from 87% the week before. The figure for 28 March to 1 April 2022 has been revised down from 87.1%.
- 2.8% of pupils were absent for a known Covid-related reason, down from 3.2% the previous week.
- 2.3% of all primary pupils were absent due to a known Covid
- 4.1% of all secondary pupils were absent due to a known Covid related reason
- Amongst statutory school age pupils attendance was highest for pupils in Year 3 (90.7%) and lowest for pupils in year 9 (83%).
- The most common reason for sessions missed was illness, not including Covid with 4.9% of sessions missed for this reason.
- Pupils entitled to free school meals were again less likely to attend school, with the gap being an average of 7.7 percentage points between 4 to 8 April.
- 24.4% of pupils (115,663 pupils) have missed more than a week of face to face learning due to a known COVID-19 related reason since 6 September 2021 (5.5 days or more)
- 79.1% of pupils (374,623 pupils) have missed more than a week for any reason since 6 September 2021.
Attendance by school year April 4-8
- Reception 88.9%
- Year 1 - 90.1%
- Year 2 - 90.3%
- Year 3- 90.7%
- Year 4 - 90.6%
- Year 5 - 90%
- Year 6 - 90%
- Year 7 - 86.7%
- Year 8 - 84.4%
- Year 9 - 83%
- Year 10 - 83.4%
- Year 11- 84.6%
- Year 12 - 81.4%
- Year 13 - 72.3%
(source: Welsh Government)
The new PHW schools report now includes vaccination rates among school age children. It shows that nearly six in 10 12 to 15 year-olds have had their first Covid vaccine and nearly four in 10 have had a second jab.
Rates are higher among 16 to 17 year olds. In this age group more than one on four have had the first jab and six in 10 have had the second jab too.
Uptake of Covid vaccine among 12 to 15 year olds by health board as of latest PHW data from March 27 published on April 7
Aneurin Bevan UHB
First jab 18,191 (63.7%)
Second jab 12,503 (43.8%)
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB
First jab 18,970 (59%)
Second jab 11,402 (35.5%)
Cardiff and Vale UHB
First jab 14,516 (59.4%)
Second jab 9,656 (39.5%)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB
First jab 14, 196 (66%)
Second jab 10.365 (48.2%)
Hywel Dda UHB
First jab 9,700 (55.9%)
Second jab 5,873 (33.8%)
Powys Health Board
First jab 3,677 (66.9%)
Second jab 2,657 (48.4%)
Swansea Bay UHB
First jab 9,248 (53.8%)
Second jab 5,657 (32.9%)
All Wales total:
First jab 88,663 (59.7%)
Second jab (58,220) 39.2%
Uptake of Covid vaccine among 17 to 18 year olds by health board
Aneurin Bevan UHB
First jab 10,849 (79.2%)
Second jab 9,262 (67.6%)
Betsi Cadwaladr UHB
First jab 11,556 (74.7%)
Second jab 8,419 (54.4%)
Cardiff and Vale UHB
First jab 5,830 (72.5%)
Second jab 6,792 (60.4%)
Cwm Taf Morgannwg UHB
First jab 8,247 (80.3%)
Second jab 6,808 (66.3%)
Hywel Dda UHB
First jab 6,248 (75.2%)
Second jab 4,826 (58.1%)
Powys Health Board
First jab 2,2937 (83.7%)
Second jab 1,994 (72.8%)
Swansea Bay UHB
First jab 6,248 (75.7%)
Second jab 4,752 (57.6%)
All Wales total:
First jab 53,987 (76.3%)
Second jab 42,918 (60.7%)
