‘Some families will have greater school anxieties’
send their children in during the pandemic.
And the Welsh Government said it recognises “some families will have greater anxiety”.
At the start of this term one primary school ran two days of fun activities, including funfair rides and free ice-cream, to try to encourage children to return to school.
Asked when penalties for nonattendance might be re-introduced, a Welsh Government spokesman said: “School attendance is compulsory, but we recognise some families will have greater anxiety about children’s attendance at school around the risks of Covid-19.
“We would expect parents to discuss any concerns they have with the school to secure a full return to school at the earliest opportunity.
“The Welsh Government will monitor the situation and continue to review its position.”
Latest provisional Welsh Government school attendance data shows that an average of 90% of all pupils were present in school over the week of May 17 to May 21.
Hundreds of pupils have been told to self-isolate this term, including in the last two weeks covered by the latest data.
“This collection allows us to measure the number of pupils that do and do not have direct contact with staff and other pupils at school during this pandemic,” the statistical release explains.
The Welsh Government has asked schools to speak to families to find out what help is needed if they are still refusing to send their children in, but the pre-pandemic School Performance and Absence Targets (Wales) Regulations 2011 was revoked last August and remains so.
In the 2018-19 academic year, average school attendance was 94%, Welsh Government data shows.
Schools concerned about a child’s persistent absenteeism can report cases to educational welfare officers, but there will be no penalties on parents or carers keeping children away because of the pandemic.
The Welsh Government school reopening guidance adds: “We recognise some families will have greater anxiety about children’s attendance at school during this time of uncertainty around the risks of Covid-19.
“Engagement should be ongoing with the family so that schools, settings and local authorities, understand any barriers to learners returning to school and identify any further support that may be needed to enable a full return to the educational setting at the earliest opportunity.
“Any concerns about engagement, or the welfare of a learner, should be followed up immediately by the school...
“....Under current circumstances the Welsh Government’s view is that punitive measures, including fines, would not be appropriate measures to take unless authorities deem it necessary to pursue a small number of cases relating to persistent absence, which are unrelated to the Covid-19 pandemic; and there are concerns about the welfare of the child; or there have been extensive efforts to try and re-engage with the family by the school and/or the Education Welfare Service.”
The Welsh Government said it was not aware of any local education authorities reporting persistent absences not related to Covid.
Some councils report that attendance in their areas is rising, suggesting families are becoming more confident that school is safe.
Members of the parent campaign group UsForThemCymru said some secondary school children are not attending because they are required to wear masks.
Last week The Welsh Government underlined the effect of pandemic disruption on the youngest children as it announced an extra £19m to help ensure early years children “continue their learning progress following disruption due to the pandemic”.
The Welsh Government also confirmed it has provided funding for an extra 1,800 full-time teaching staff through its Recruit, Recover and Raise Standards’ programme in response to the pandemic.