Abstract

This article focuses upon the Task and Finish Group's report on school attendance in Wales. The Task and Finish Group was established by the Welsh Assembly Government and met between 2002 and 2003. The report makes a number of short- and long-term recommendations for implementation. The report was accepted by the Welsh Assembly during 2003 and, since then, an implementation group has been established and started its work. The article begins by considering the link between deprivation and underachievement, particularly as it is important to set the higher authorized and unauthorized absence rates for some schools in Wales, when compared with most of the UK, into context. It then discusses the present position on attendance issues in Wales including the wide range of new initiatives which are endeavouring to redress the problems. Thereafter, recent British and international research is discussed before considering, in some depth, the present comparative position in England utilizing some findings from one English local education authority in the northwest. The article concludes with a detailed consideration of the implications of the Task and Finish Group's report for Wales and the nature of the tasks which will soon be undertaken in order to prioritize and improve school attendance rates throughout the Principality.

How to Cite:

Reid, K., (2003) “Combating Truancy and School Absenteeism in Wales:The Latest Developments”, Wales Journal of Education 12(2), 13-34.