The school with almost 100% attendance - and how they did it

While pupil attendance rates across Wales remain significantly lower than before the Covid pandemic, one school is achieving an almost perfect record.

Attendance at Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili was 98.2% for the first month of this academic year.

Head teacher Lynn Griffiths said 90% of pupils in Year 3 to 6 take part in extra-curricular activities such as sport clubs, dance clubs and chess clubs, helping to boost their self-esteem.

However, attendance rates across Wales remain significantly lower than in 2019.

At the 440-pupil Welsh-medium primary in Caerphilly county borough, more than 200 children attend at least one extra-curricular club, said Mr Griffiths.

"We're talking about chess, literacy, modern foreign languages, sporting clubs, dance clubs.

"If they regularly attend those clubs they can end up representing the school which leads to a feeling of self-worth and self-esteem," he said.

"Children don't want to miss out and quite often our parents say 'they're not feeling 100% but they want to be in school because they enjoy being in school'."

The school scrapped certificates for 100% attendance following feedback from parents, though overall data for every class is put on the school's website weekly.

Absence for holidays is not approved in the first half term of the school year but there is a flexible approach after that.

Mr Griffiths, who shares the headship at Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili with colleague Eleri Jones, said there was not "one specific" reason for high attendance but key factors include "high-quality teaching" and good relationships between staff, parents and pupils.

"For some families we have to have far more dialogue than others and it's recognising those families with specific needs and working closely with them to ensure that their children can feel comfortable in school," Mr Griffiths said.

Wellbeing officer Rachel Warden said maintaining links with parents all year round "not just when there are issues" was important.

If there is a problem with attendance "nine times out of 10 it's something really easy that we can we can fix straight away", she said.

Pupil Heidi said children want to come to school "so they can have fun and not just stay in the house all day".

"I normally get upset if I'm missing out on a day because I want to know what happened," added Belle.

Classmate Elliot said there was a wellbeing centre where children could take breaks.

"Sometimes we do dog therapy," he added.

"There's a really cute dog and you can just stroke him and that will make you a bit more relaxed."

Average attendance for schools in Wales was 90.9% for the 2024-25 academic year - up on the previous year but lower than the 94.3% figure in 2018-19, before the pandemic.

Attendance is higher in primary schools and so far in this academic year it has reached 93.4%, compared with 90.3% for secondary schools.

Rates are lower for children eligible for free school meals and there is concern about persistent absence, which is pupils missing more than 10% of school sessions.

Education inspectorate Estyn said secondary school attendance is "stubbornly low" and warned that it will take more than a decade to get back to pre-pandemic levels based on the current rate of progress.

Education Secretary Lynne Neagle said Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili demonstrates "what's possible when we combine targeted support with strong family and wider community engagement".

"To ensure every child accesses the education they deserve, we must continue to address the barriers that prevent learners from attending school", she added, noting that £7m was being provided to help children re-engage with school.

Mother-of-three Victoria, from Glynneath, in Neath Port Tabot, said her children's school sends termly letters highlighting children's attendance.

"I would imagine that a lot of people take their children on holidays now in term time just because of the price of holidays," she said.

"We work hard and to be able to take them for a week once a year, I don't see the harm personally."

Another parent, Jenny, said her nine-year-old has missed a lot of school because of a medical condition.

"It is hard to keep on track of attendance," she said, saying schools should show understanding.

And Werner, a parent in Neath, said: "If they are unwell then we'll keep them home, but for the rest they go every day like I had to go every day and like their mum had to go every day."

Schools can issue fixed penalty notices to parents for non-attendance when other approaches have failed.

But Mr Griffiths said while the "ultimate sanction" of fines would be considered "we much prefer to work with parents".

"If they're told by their employers this is the only two weeks you can have a holiday that's fine, but we can mitigate the impact of a holiday for the child.

"We'll give them an array of reading books. Children can access Google Classroom on holiday and do half an hour's work whilst they're waiting to go on a trip.

"We ask pupils, will they give a presentation to their peers when they come back into school to see what they've learned about the place they've been on holiday, and it makes them again feel a part of the class and a part of the school."