State school truancy rate 10,000 a day in London

More than 10,000 children are skipping class in London every day as the truancy rate soars.

Primary and secondary pupils in the capital missed 730,000 days of school for no good reason last autumn, the Government said today.

Across England, some 60,700 children were absent without permission on a typical day, the latest figures suggested.

Officials blamed the rise on parents taking children out of school during term without permission.

But critics attacked ministers for overseeing yet another increase in the national truancy rate despite spending £1billion on measures such as police truancy sweeps, electronic school registers and fast track prosecutions.

The figures for the last autumn term showed 10,500 state primary and secondary school pupils were absent without authorisation on a typical day in London, while 4,300 missed at least one day every week through illness, holidays, truancy or other reasons.

Unauthorised absence was higher than average in 22 of London's 33 boroughs, with Greenwich, Haringey and Tower Hamlets the worst.

Liberal Democrat schools spokesman David Laws said: "The truancy rate has rocketed under this Government.

"The draconian measures pursued by ministers have failed. A more effective local approach is needed, involving parents, schools and the police."

Across England, the largest rise in truancy was among children in primary schools.