Tens of thousands of London children take more than four weeks a year off school, new figures reveal today.
More than 40,000 pupils in the capital are classed as persistent absentees, meaning that they skip school on at least 23 days a year.
In Islington, Newham and Southwark more than five per cent of pupils are persistent absentees.
However, the London-wide absence rate of 4.8 per cent is slightly better than the national average of 5.1 per cent.
The figures published by the Department for Education today revealed that parents were still persisting in taking children out of school for holidays, with 10 per cent of all absences in England due to family holidays, and more than three per cent of these unauthorised by headteachers.
The most likely reason for a pupil’s absence was illness — not including medical appointments — with 58.3 per cent of time missed because of sickness.
The figures also revealed that the poorest pupils were more likely to take time off from school.
Among children receiving free school meals, 11 per cent are classed as persistent absentees, compared with four per cent among other children.
A persistent absentee is officially defined as a pupil missing 46 or more half days from school.
