A REPORT which is to go before Blaenau Gwent’s executive committee this week claims “clearly there is more work to be done” to raise pupil attendance in secondary schools.

The council’s attendance rate is ranked lowest in the whole of Wales for secondary pupils while being ranked 18 out of 22 for primary school attendance figures.

Average attendance at one Blaenau Gwent secondary school, Abertillery Comprehensive, was 91.5 per cent in March this year. The report said attendance less than 92 per cent means missing more than three weeks of school and is considered “a serious loss of learning which is likely to have a detrimental effect on achievement and life chances”.

But this Wednesday the executive committee will see a report outlining the council’s new strategy which is being brought in to raise pupil attendance.

The report, written by council officer Lisa Adams, follows the decision of the council to revise its school attendance policy in January this year.

The new operating model, Callio, will make changes such as the way attendance is categorised and how education welfare officers work with schools.

Under the new model, attendance would be categorised in individual secondary schools from 100 per cent down to 50 per cent in two per cent points intervals.

And the report revealed £20,000 has been allocated within the 2015/16 skills and work preparation budget, with £4,000 going to each of the secondary mainstream provision and the pupil referral unit to set up Callio.

The average attendance in Blaenau Gwent secondary schools for 2013/14 was 92.2 per cent, an improvement of 1.2 per cent on the previous year but below the Wales average of 93.6 per cent.

Blaenau Gwent primary schools fare better, with the average attendance at 94.4 per cent, up by 1.3 per cent since the last year but just slightly below the Wales average of 94.8 per cent.

Currently Blaenau Gwent is ranked fourth out of five in its family of local authorities – including Merthyr, Rhondda Cynon Taf, Neath port Talbot and Caerphilly – for primary schools, but the council said its aim is to be the highest.

The executive committee will meet on Wednesday, June 10.