SCHOOL attendance in Blaenau Gwent is on the up with primary school figures now above the Welsh average, new research shows.

Secondary school attendance in the borough rose half a percent from 89.6 per cent in the last year.

The increase equates to a total of 8,649 school days - or 1.1 days for each of the area's 3,994 secondary school pupils, but is still a little way off the Welsh average of 91.4 per cent.

Attendance in primary schools stands at 94.2 per cent - up 0.8 per cent up on last year and above the 2010/11 Welsh average of 93.3 per cent.

This is equivalent to 3, 894 schools days or 1.5 school days for every one of the borough's 5,544 primary age pupils.

Executive education commissioners Bethan Guilfoyle and Isobel Garner, who are currently responsible for Blaenau Gwent’s education department, congratulated the council on its progress.

But they are keen to reiterate the importance of school attendance, particularly at the end of term when numbers tend to drop.

They said it parents should not expect schools to agree to holidays in term time, and that parents know help is available from family information service can if they are struggling to get their child to school.

They said some people think 90 per cent attendance is acceptable but over a school career it amounted to a pupil missing almost a year of education.

Research has also shown that taking 17 days off - resulting in an overall attendance rate of 91 per cent - equates to a drop in a grade across all GCSE subjects.

So far this year 26 Blaenau Gwent families have been convictions, resulting in one jail term, fines and conditional discharges.

Improving school attendance is a key priority for Blaenau Gwent council and is one of eight recommendations, which must be met ahead of the department, being put back into the authority’s control in spring 2013.

Education minister Leighton Andrews appointed the commissioners last September following a damning Estyn report, which showed the department was failing.

They are responsible for all education functions and decision making that was previously the responsibility of the executive committee.

EDITORIAL COMMENT: Parents must help

IT IS pleasing to be able to report some positive news on the education front in Blaenau Gwent.

Last September, the council’s education service was taken over by commissioners after a damning Estyn inspection found the department to be failing.

And while there is still some way to go before the service can be returned to local authority control, there are some early signs of welcome improvement.

This is good news for the schools, for Blaenau Gwent council and for the commissioners. But most of all, it is good news for the children and their parents.

One of the key priorities for the council is to increase attendance.

All available research points to high attendance as one of the driving forces of improving educational attainment, with even what would seem a fairly insignificant level of absenteeism known to have a damaging effect.

Over the past few months, attendance rates have gone up in Blaenau Gwent, with those in the primary sector now above the Welsh average and those in the secondary sector not far off.

This is a good start and we hope it can continue. And for that to happen, the education service needs the support of families, who must play their part in getting the message across to their children that school attendance is an absolute must.