Rising numbers of primary school children skipped lessons during the spring term as the overall truancy rate rose, official figures reveal. Almost 69,000 primary and secondary pupils in England missed classes without permission on a typical day. Primary children missed 0.74 per cent of half days through unauthorised absence, up from 0.67 per cent in the spring term last year. Overall absence rates fell, with 5.92 per cent of half days missed in the Spring term, compared to 6.18 per cent last year.
