ALMOST 20 per cent of all school pupils in York took unauthorised absence from school last year, new figures revealed.
But education chiefs said school attendance in York was still much better than the national average, and City of York Council was ranked the sixth best-performing authority in terms of school attendance.
The average number of half-days missed by the youngsters who skipped primary school lessons without permission was eight, the Department for Education said.
In secondary schools, the figure was worse - an average of 16 half-days.
The overall absence rate - the percentage of half-days missed with or without authorisation - was 5.1 per cent in primary schools, the same as last year.
In secondary schools, it was 7.3 per cent, down from 7.9 per cent. Nationally, the rate was 8.3 per cent, down from 8.7 per cent.
Updated: 14:40 Wednesday, September 17, 2003
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