Labour-led Council given top marks as school attendance continues to improve

Not only have Swansea schools celebrated exceptional A-level, GCSE and BTEC results, but they are now also among the best performing in Wales when it comes to lesson attendance.

New Welsh Government figures show an overall pupil attendance rate of 94% in the city which is above the Welsh average.

It also makes Swansea the fifth best performing area out of 22 Welsh authorities for the last school year. This is an improvement from five years ago when the city was ranked in the lower half of  Welsh authorities.

The Labour-led council set-up an Improvement Board to tackle the issue and a range of measures have been introduced and cabinet members receive regular reports to ensure progress and Swansea has been climbing the rankings ever since.

Labour Cllr Jennifer Raynor, Cabinet Member for Education Improvement, Learning and Skills, said: “There is a clear link between attendance and achievement and it is no coincidence that this has been a tremendous year for results in Swansea.

“We placed a real focus on improving attendance some years ago as we want to ensure every young person achieves their full potential.

“A lot of hard work has been done so I’d like to thank everyone who has played their part.”

She added: “We must not lose this focus and with the schools returning this week I’d urge pupils and their families to recognise the importance of not missing lessons.

“There are times when the weather is poor, when motivation can be low or families are thinking of taking a break.

“It is important not to take the easy option but to attend school.

“From seeing the pride and smiling faces in our schools on results days this year I can assure pupils that the effort and hard work is well worthwhile.”