Tourism workers' out-of-term holidays 'hit truancy figures'
TORBAY's tourism economy and the problem of interpreting raw statistics have been blamed for some of its schools' high truancy rates.
Some parents working in hotels and restaurants in the resort have been choosing to take holidays during term time which has pushed absence levels up in some schools.
-
According to figures released by the www.teachernet.gov.uk website, Upton St James Primary School in St James Road, Torquay, and Westlands School in Plainmoor have the highest truancy rate of all schools in the Bay with St Margarets School and Torquay Community College also scoring highly.
Mike Stewart, head teacher of Westlands School, which has 1,350 pupils on its roll, and had a 2.3 per cent truancy rate, said: "The figure is lower than last year's so it is improving here.
"We've done a lot of work to help pupils get themselves to school.
"As with other seaside resorts, many parents working in the tourism industry take their children off during term time which is against our policies.
"Students should be in school to receive an education during term time."
His views were echoed by Rob Breeze, headteacher of St Margaret's school in Barewell Road, Torquay, who also blamed the tourism industry and illnesses for its 1.4 per cent truancy rate.
He said: "The figure is consistent with last year's. Truancy is very much an issue for all schools where parents work in the tourism industry. They are compelled to take their holidays out of the tourist season and during term time. It has a big impact on the children's education. We never turn a blind eye to it and always contact parents to remind them their children's education is important."
The national average for truancy in secondary schools 1.44 per cent and 0.62 per cent for primary schools.
Claire Prynn, headteacher of Upton St James, which had the highest truancy rate in the Bay with 2.8 per cent in 2008, said the figure had since dropped to 1.6. She added: "We support the council's every school day matters campaign to improve attendance. We do not tolerate requests from pupils to be out of school without good reasons."
In Teignbridge and the South Hams, Newton Abbot College and Kingswear Community Primary School had some of the higher truancy rates in their respective areas with 1.3 per cent each.
Mark Oakshott, headteacher at the 57-pupil Kingswear school, agreed with his Torbay colleagues about the impact the tourism economy has on absences.
He said: "The issue of tourism is a massive one. But we're also an incredibly small school so any child not turning up pushes up the figures dramatically."
A Devon County Council spokesman said primary schools in the county had a truancy rate average of 0.26 per cent against 0.93 per cent in secondary schools.
He said: "We are pleased our figures are reducing in Devon and are below the national average for both primary and secondary schools.
"However, this is not an issue to be complacent about and we're working with our schools to ensure the figures reduce further."
9 Comments
View all
by ShakesHeadinDisbelief, Paignton
Saturday, February 27 2010, 8:19PM
“So, mr wayne - are you saying parents should show their children how to be a good and honest person by disobeying the rules (and breaking the law) by taking their children out of school? A really good example!
I agree that spending time in other countries is valuable - but it is no less valuable to do it in the school holidays.
Assuming your children have not yet taken their GCSE's, when they do and, after two years of hard work, come home to tell you they managed to get straight 'A' grades in all subjects - are you going to belittle them and tell them they only got those grades because they signed their name correctly?
I think you believe too much of what you read in your Daily Sport!”
by mr wayne, paignton
Saturday, February 27 2010, 5:56PM
“Kids missing school and not being able to catch up what a load of rubbish!! the family time together is very important and if the child gets to spend time in another place say france where they will learn more life changing things and a different more grown up view of the world, but the family getting time together is most important!!! schools as us parents all know have to many tests and stuff a A lever system that is beyond repair oh lets all have A's hehe A for signing there name correct is it hehe education is not what it should be anymore so maybe life skills and being a good and honest person needs to be shown more in our modern world.”
by ShakesHeadinDisbelief, Paignton
Saturday, February 27 2010, 2:34PM
“Stan ¿ you comment that society has moved on in the last 50 years ¿ it doesn't mean children¿s energy levels, ability to concentrate or their need to have a break from the school environment has changed.
Perhaps the planning of school holidays is for the benefit of the child ¿ not of their parents being able to get a cheap holiday. Breaks from learning are needed to re-invigorate the enthusiasm of children to learn.
So ¿ a child has two weeks out of school ¿ how does it catch up on what it has missed? How does it know what it has missed? In subjects, such as Maths, the learning from each lesson builds on that from the previous one, so a child cannot simply ¿slot back in¿ as if nothing has happened. Who is responsible for ensuring the child catches up? Who has the time within the school? Who pays for it? Certainly not the parents who have saved a small fortune on their holiday to some trendy foreign destination
As for you Love2, maybe you can't abide people that criticise the fact that you CHOOSE to work hard all year including weekends. How do you feel about people that criticise you for doing it when you then moan about the consequences?
You state in your comment that quality time with your children is paramount ¿ paramount except for having the nice job, the nice car, the nice house, and the nice holidays, which seem to be more important than quality time with the children.
If your children are as important as you say, you & your husband could change your jobs so you weren't working weekends, you could work in a job where you had more flexibility in terms of when you took holidays ¿ or would that have a negative impact on your oh-so-important lifestyle? Instead of having 10 days of quality time with your children, you could have over one hundred each year by having weekends at home with them
We all make choices - some we get right, some we get wrong, and it is up to us to accept the consequences, not go bleating on about how life is so unfair.
My children are also extremely well travelled and have experienced amazing experiences that will stay with them forever ¿ all done within the school holidays, with their parents having made other sacrifices to give them these experiences.
Get a grip”
by Love2, kingskerswell
Friday, February 26 2010, 10:08PM
“Stan, couldn't agree more with you. As a full time working mum, both my husband & myself are dictated to by our respective employers about when we can take our annual leave. Spending quality time with our children is paramount and therefore, if we choose (which we do) to take our children out of school for upto 10 days per year, then so be it. I can guarantee that those precious 2 weeks spent together on holiday as a family is priceless. We both work really hard all year inc weekends, and I can't abide all those that criticise the fact that I choose to do so. My children are extremely well travelled and have experienced amazing experiences that will stay with them forever.”
by Stan, Torbay
Friday, February 26 2010, 3:44PM
“Of course education is important but I was referring to the effect of school terms on society generally not just the summer holidays.
Are you really suggesting that shops, hotels and other businesses should shut down at half term because all the mums they employ have to look after their children.
What is the justification for schools to shut for these odd weeks and send children out to wander the streets? Is a half term really neccessary?
My suggestion is that if more of these lost weeks were included in the school year then maybe we could allow parents to be more flexible in their holiday arrangements without education suffering.
School terms and times have not changed for at least 50 years since I was at school , society has moved on”