Service ProvisionThe Education Welfare Service delivers support for pupils with attendance and welfare difficulties in school, or where they may be without a school place.
The Service also offers support and data to schools and their governing bodies for improving attendance and reducing unauthorised absences. Attendance statistics are collated by the Service and shared with schools during governors meetings as a basis for identifying new targets and governors have set targets to maintain high attendance. Additional support for reducing unauthorised absence is provided through the truancy patrol scheme
The LEA’s targets for increasing attendance and reducing unauthorised absence are based on targets identified by governing bodies. Governors are supported to draw on data provided by the LEA to evaluate present school performance. Through training and advice, the governors are also supported to take account of national targets. Current targets reflect Assembly guidelines to reduce truancy by one third by 2002 (National Assembly for Wales Pupil Support and Social Inclusion Circular 3/99) and to reduce absenteeism in secondary schools to below 8% by 2004, below 7% by 2007 and below 5% by 2010. Governors copy their targets to the Education Department where they are aggregated and compared to previous LEA targets, national targets and trends in attendance.
Each governing body has been asked to identify a named governor to take responsibility for pupil attendance in their school.
The Education Welfare Service collects and analyses attendance statistics monthly. The information is used to review progress towards school, LEA and national targets, and to inform the setting of new targets.
The Education Welfare Service recognises that authorised absence can be just as damaging to pupils’ progress as unauthorised absence. Consequently, the Education Department is committed to increasing overall attendance in primary, secondary and special schools. The Education Welfare Service welcomes the change of emphasis by the Welsh Assembly Government, following the introduction of a new national performance indicators (NAWPI 2.14) relating to the attendance of secondary school pupils present at an approved educational activity. Targets and actions for improvement asre described in the Education Strategic Plan 2002-2005.
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