50,000 children miss a day of school each week

Nearly 50,000 children of England's poorest areas are missing on average a day of school each week. That is what the Telegraph is reporting about. A Conservative analysis of Government statistics shows that 6.1 per cent of children in the poorest neighbourhoods missed at least one fifth of school in 2007/2008. In the richer neighbourhoods only 1.2 per cent of children missed one fifth of school in 2007/2008.
Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo said there was "no quick solution" for this problem. She says that attendance at school is absolutely vital, and that's why they have to ensure that school is interesting, and that there are enough challenges for the children. She also mentions that overall absence in 2007/2008 was at a record low.

In my opinion Children's Minister Dawn Primarolo is right. She says that school needs to be a challenge and interesting for children. I totally agree with this. Only if school is interesting pupils will have the motivation to reach targets and to pay attention. And this counts especially for children in the poorest areas. Because these children in the poor areas already have less knowledge and basic abilitys because of their background, it is even more important that these children use their time at school effictively. Attendance for these children is even more important because children in richer areas will have more opportunities to get good education, while most families in poor areas don't have enough money to provide good education for their children.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/education/educationnews/6895443/50000-children-miss-a-day-of-school-each-week.html