Industry News
Truancy blamed on 'boring classes'
Posted on 21st September 2007
Boring lessons are a major reason children skip classes which causes them to fall behind and dislike school even more, an authority has claimed.
A new report by education watchdog Ofsted has found attendance in secondary schools has improved but that unauthorised absences still remain high.
It surveyed 31 secondary schools and discovered those with the highest quality of teaching and studying also had the highest attendance records.
Some of the reasons given for unauthorised absences were boredom, or an inability to "get on with" their teacher.
Inspectors discovered that in some cases, schools failed to help students catch up with the work they had missed and there were no policies or clear expectations of how teachers should help children catch up.
Christine Gilbert, head of the watchdog said best practice schools achieved high attendance by "highlighting the importance of attendance to students, parents and staff, regular and rigorous monitoring, and a whole school approach to attendance".
The Department for Children, Schools and Families has stated that the quality of learning and teaching in schools directly impacts upon the behaviour of pupils.