TRUANCY rates in Dorset secondary schools are the lowest in the South West.

Dorset County Council was pleased to report that unauthorised absence from secondary schools has fallen to about half the national average.

Recent figures show that 0.75 per cent of sessions in secondary schools in Dorset are missed through truancy and 6.48 sessions are missed through authorised absence.

Nearly 1,400 pupils, 5.3 per cent, are classed as persistent offenders, who miss at least one day a week.

Toni Coombs Dorset County Council cabinet member for children's services said: "Unauthorised absence is low but the real issue is parents taking their children out of school for holidays. It is difficult for head teachers because if they do not give parents permission to take the children out of school some parents just go ahead anyway.

"We need parents to understand that every day a child misses school is detrimental to their long term education."

Dorset is doing better than Poole and Bournemouth on tackling truancy.

In Poole 2.08 per cent of sessions are missed through truancy and just over six per cent through authorised absence. Persistent offenders account for 7.6 per cent of students, 540 in total.

The Borough of Poole's head of children and young people's integrated services Vicky Wales said: "We focus on the overall attendance of children and young people, rather than just unauthorised absences.

"We support schools in being robust in authorising absence, giving the clear message that education is important."

In Bournemouth 7.32 per cent of sessions are missed through authorised absence and 1.18 per cent through truancy. A total of 724, 8.2 per cent, students are persistent offenders.

Service and strategy manager for children and young people at Bournemouth Borough Council Stephen Richards said: "As an authority we know good school attendance is a key factor to good attainment and outcomes for pupils. We tackle absenteeism robustly and set individual school targets. We also use a full range of powers including truancy sweeps, use of parenting contracts and legal intervention."

Nationally 6.3 per cent of sessions are missed through authorised absence and 1.46 per cent through truancy. Almost 7 per cent of pupils are persistently absent.

Primary schools in our area showed slightly higher authorised absence figures than the national average of 4.73 per cent. But truancy rates were slightly lower than the countrywide average of 0.52 per cent. The level of persistent offenders was in line with national figures at around two per cent.