A £46m programme to tackle inequality and absence in schools has been launched by the Welsh Government. Parent and community outreach programmes including nutrition and skills classes and parent and child reading sessions are part of the scheme aimed at connecting schools more with their local communities.
The bulk of the fund - £40m - will go to help schools run programmes with their local communities, such as food and gardening projects, community use of sports facilities, and hubs and kitchens in school buildings. An additional £6.5m will fund more Education Welfare Service and family engagement officers, who tackle inequality and school absence.
Latest Welsh Government data shows more than one in 10 school sessions (one session is half a day) were missed this academic year. Absence rates are far higher among those pupils eligible for free school meals.
Attendance rates for this academic year languish at 83.9% for those eligible for free school meals, compared with 91.4 % for their financially better off peers. The figures, published by the Welsh Government on March 22, show attendance is lowest on average for pupils in crucial exams stage - year 11.
Education Minister Jeremy Miles launched the £46m programme to tackle inequality and absence during a visit to Cardiff West Community High. Headteacher Martin Hulland said 68% of his 1,085 pupils were eligible for free school meals and attendance was "the single biggest challenge".
