THE number of pupils skipping lessons in York is among the lowest in the UK, according to the latest Government figures.

Attendance at City of York Council’s schools for 2013-2014 continues to be amongst the best nationally, according to data released by the Department for Education (DfE), with York returning the UK’s lowest number of persistent absentees for primary schools.

Figures for the first five half terms of 2013-14, shows that York is the UK’s joint second best-performing local authority for primary school attendance at 96.7 per cent. City of York Council primary schools also had the joint lowest numbers nationally for persistent absentees at 1.3 per cent.

Jon Stonehouse, director of education at City of York Council, said: “The work of teaching staff, police and council partners in the health sector as well as parental commitment all contribute to this excellent outcome which helps ensure that children overcome any barriers to attendance and have access to a good education.

"I would encourage any parent concerned about issues that they feel may lead to their child missing lessons to contact their school straight away.”

Nationally the number of students regularly missing school is down nearly 200,000 over the last five years. The number of those pupils classed as persistent absentees has almost halved since 2010 – the lowest level since comparable records began.

Government officials said the drop was a result of tough new rules on holidays which mean that head teachers can now only grant permission for trips during term time in "exceptional circumstances".

In York the good attendance rates were also reflected in secondary schools with attendance at 95.4 per cent, placing York in the 20 top-performing local authorities out of 150 councils.

The percentage of pupils in secondary schools regarded as persistent absentees was City of York Council’s lowest since records began with only 4.6 per cent counting as persistent absentees.

Currently any pupil who is absent for 15 per cent or more of their lessons is regarded as a persistent absentee, however from September 2015 this will change so that pupils with absence of ten per cent or more will count as a persistent absentee.