Gwynedd Secondary School Pupils’ Attendance Is Best In Wales

National statistics show that the attendance of secondary school pupils in Gwynedd continues to improve, and that schools’ performance is joint best of all Welsh counties. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Gwynedd Council has congratulated the county’s secondary school pupils on the continued progress in terms of attendance over the last academic year. In 2015/16 the performance of Gwynedd pupils was joint first with that of the Vale of Glamorgan’s performance. This comes after last year’s report which showed that the performance of Gwynedd’s pupils was second amongst all counties in Wales. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Cabinet Member for Education on Gwynedd Council, Councillor Gareth Thomas said: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“The fact that a national report confirms that the attendance levels of secondary school pupils continues to improve is a matter in which we can be proud. Last year, Gwynedd’s performance was second amongst all Welsh authorities, and it is positive to see that this has improved within the last year and that the pupils of the county are now joint first. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“It is proof of our young people’s commitment, and also reflects the hard work that all staff at our schools, parents and carers as well as the education welfare service that have contributed to the improvement of attendance within our schools. The attendance percentage at the end of the last academic year had risen to 95.0% which is an increase of 0.4% in comparison with the previous year, and it is great to report that there has been a decrease of 2.9% in absences over the last five years.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

Arwyn Thomas, Gwynedd Council Head of Education, added: ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“Research shows that there is a clear connection between high attendance levels and educational achievement. It is therefore satisfying to say that the level of pupils’ attendance in secondary schools in Gwynedd is the highest amongst all authorities throughout Wales and that our performance as a county has improved significantly over recent years. ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​

“As a Council, we are committed to ensuring that the children and young people of Gwynedd can benefit from the opportunities that education provides. As an authority, we will continue to work closely with the county’s schools during the next academic year in order to continue to promote attendance in our schools.” ‌​‌​‌​​​‍‌​‌​​‌‌‌‍‌​‌‌​​‌​‍‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‍‌​‌‌‌‌​​