100,000 miss a day of school every fortnight

More than 100,000 Scottish schoolchildren missed at least a day of lessons every fortnight, with one former education boss urging Holyrood ministers to get a grip of the problem.

Some 138,312 pupils had their attendance drop to less than 90% according to the Commission on School Reform, meaning they were absent one day every two weeks. And 45,443 missed at least one day a week, an attendance below 80%.

Keir Bloomer, a former local authority director of education and now chairman of the commission, warned: “The government should take a grip of this problem, without attributing blame, and ensure that the situation improves.”