New figures reveal extent of absence rates in Fife schools - why are they so high?

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Fife has one of the worst school absence levels according to new figures. Now councillors and an MSP are sounding the alarm over the latest data.

Figures obtained and published by Scottish Conservatives show that Fife Council as the second worst local authority area in Scotland in three out of four categories.

They revealed that 7,435 primary students in the region (27% of the primary population) and 9,695 secondary students (42% of Fife’s secondary school population) missed more than 10% of their school year in 2023/24.

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The same figures show that 2,506 primary pupils and 4,507 secondary pupils in the Kingdom – 19% of the population – missed more than 20%. In three out of four categories, only Glasgow recorded worse attendance rates.

The figures show a growing problem with school absences in Fife (Pic: Stock)The figures show a growing problem with school absences in Fife (Pic: Stock)
The figures show a growing problem with school absences in Fife (Pic: Stock)

“These statistics are deeply concerning and highlight an escalating crisis in our education system,” MSP Roz McCall (Conservative for the Mid-Scotland and Fife Region) said. “Education is fundamental to success in life, yet thousands of young people in Fife are missing out on the opportunities they need to thrive.”

Fife Council Lib-Dem group leader James Calder also raised the alarm: “The school absence rates are deeply worrying and are undoubtedly going to have a negative effect on attainment for our young people,” he said.

Councillor Kathleen Leslie, the council's education scrutiny convener, said the figures are concerning, but called for a deeper understanding of the problems.

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"Any pupil missing school is of concern and we know this has become more of an issue since COVID and that is due to a whole host of reasons,” she said. “For attainment to improve we need our pupils in school and if they are not there we need to understand why."

She continued: "Is it due to bullying, is it due to parental work patterns changing due to remote working or is it because of the cost of living crisis? I would be mindful about reducing it down to one issue only."

Donald Macleod, Fife’s director for education, agreed that there are a number of factors at play.

"There will be a variety of circumstances that can affect someone's attendance at school and therefore we always monitor attendance and reasons for absence,” he said. "Across Fife, schools monitor attendance so that they can intervene early, providing support as needed from either within the school or in partnership with external agencies,” he said.

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He added: "When a young person isn't attending school, we need to understand why that’s happening and good relationships are key to being able to support them and their family. This helps us to work out what supports and strategies need to be put in place to help them get back to attending school.”

Cllr Leslie agreed that she has seen head teachers and staff across the Kingdom working hard to solve the problem and get children to re-engage with school.

However, she added that more funding for education would “certainly go some way” to ensuring Fife has sufficient support staff and resources in place to work with children and young people who are not attending school as they should be.

“There’s no ‘one size fits all’ solution,” Mr MacLeod said.

“The approaches we take are all underpinned by Scottish Government guidance and best practice nationally. Schools and, where necessary, social work and health partners use creative approaches to promote and support positive attendance.”

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He continued: "We will continue to work with parents to address non-attendance where it's an issue, to ensure all Fife's children and young people are motivated to attend school and derive maximum benefit from their educational journey and that overall attendance levels increase.”

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