Unauthorised pupil absence in schools in England in 2005-06 rose slightly from 0.78 percent to 0.79 percent. The rise in half days missed in primary schools was up from 0.43 percent to 0.46 percent, where as in secondary schools, the absenteeism fell from 1.23 percent to 1.22 percent.

The British Minister of State for Schools, Jim Knight, appreciated this fall in secondary schools, and promised to maintain pressure on schools to improve pupil attendance, as the overall rate had risen. He further added that a small number of students accounted for a major portion of unauthorised absence, and this needed to be tackled.

According to the Department for Education And Skills, its ‘fast track’ targeting of 13,000 regular unauthorised absentees in 200 schools led to 27 percent drop in their absence. Parents of truant students placed on ‘fast track’ could face automatic court prosecution if the attendance failed to improve over a 12-week period.