CUMBERLAND Council has issued a statement urging parents not to take their children out of school 'unless an absence is unavoidable'.

This comes after figures that were derived from regular data automatically submitted to the Department for Education (DfE) by participating schools showed that unauthorised absences across primary, secondary, and special schools within the council's jurisdiction were at their highest during the week beginning Monday, December 18th, the final week before the Christmas break. 

The data also showed that after the Christmas break, these unauthorised absence rates fell, however, to a level that still exceeded the pre-Christmas percentage.

A Cumberland Council spokesperson said: "We are aware of new government data showing levels of unauthorised absences throughout local areas in the country, including Cumberland.

"Education is vital for children and young people’s development and wellbeing, and we would like to again stress the importance of ensuring children and young people are in school unless an absence is unavoidable."

The council also addressed the difficulties faced by, and committed their ongoing support, to the families of children with Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA).

They said: "Cumberland Council will continue to work with and support families to encourage children to attend school, and implement measures to limit unauthorised absences.

"This includes emphasising the detrimental effect of missing school, as well as applying fines where other approaches to secure attendance has failed.

"Cumberland Council will also continue to work with and support families of children with Emotional Based School Avoidance (EBSA), and would encourage families to contact us at the earliest point possible if this affects them, so we can engage with schools and education settings to strive for all children to be accessing a well-rounded education."