Commenting on the CYPE Committee's report into pupil absence in Wales, Laura Doel, director of NAHT Cymru, said: “Learner absence is a huge concern. We know that the best place for teaching and learning is in the classroom, face to face, with their peers.

“The range of reasons why learners are not in schools are complex and vary considerably.  Schools work as much as they can to engage with parents and support any issues they or their children face but there are limited resources in schools to be able to do this.  If there is a significant issue with a family that requires support, schools cannot be left to do this alone.  Primarily, teachers and leaders are there to focus on teaching, and learners and those support services that help schools get children back into the classroom are underfunded or in some cases non-existent.

“Gathering data on reasons for absence cannot be another administrative burden on schools.  There need to be dedicated people who are employed to support bringing learners back in.

“While we appreciate there needs to be an element of flexibility in the methods of support to bring children back into the classroom, we need to be realistic. A blended learning offer cannot be an add on to what schools already offer in terms of face-to-face learning.  For this to be a serious consideration, this would need to be fully-funded, especially at a time when school leaders across Wales are considering making redundancies to balance the books. We also need to ensure there is consistent support across the whole of Wales to really tackle this issue.”