THE WELSH CONSERVATIVES have criticised the Welsh Government’s handling of pupil absenteeism in schools, highlighting that the number of persistently absent pupils remains significantly higher than pre-pandemic levels.

Natasha Asghar, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, said that while the average attendance rate in Welsh maintained schools has slightly improved to 91% compared to 90.4% the previous year, progress remains “unacceptably slow”. She highlighted that persistent absenteeism, at 12% this year, has more than doubled from pre-pandemic levels (14.7% in 2018/19 compared to a peak of 30.4% in 2023/24).

She further emphasised the widening attendance gap between pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) and their peers, noting FSM pupils had an attendance rate of just 85.3% compared to 92.8% for non-FSM pupils.

“Labour’s record in education is dreadful, and absenteeism is just one area they consistently fail to address effectively,” Natasha Asghar, Welsh Conservative Shadow Cabinet Secretary for Education, said. “Wales needs a change. Pupils eligible for free school meals are being left behind, and the Welsh Government is doing too little, too slowly, to bridge this gap.”

Illness remains the leading cause of absence, responsible for 4.1% of school sessions missed.

The Welsh Government noted the overall attendance rate for September 2024 to February 2025 improved to 91.0% and highlighted reductions in persistent absenteeism since last year as positive signs. It acknowledged that while challenges remain, especially post-pandemic, efforts are ongoing to support schools and pupils in improving attendance rates.

Understanding attendance trends and addressing underlying causes of absenteeism are critical priorities for policymakers, educators, and families across Wales.

SCHOOLS in Wales face a total maintenance bill of more than £500m, with a £93m backlog of urgent works, a Senedd Member revealed.

Cefin Campbell, Plaid Cymru’s shadow education secretary, raised concerns about the 22 councils in Wales facing an average backlog of £24m each.

He told the Senedd that 355 schools, 24% of all schools in Wales, require urgent maintenance, according to responses to freedom of information requests.

Questioning Lynne Neagle on February 19, Mr Campbell pointed out that in Torfaen – the education secretary’s constituency – 31 out of 32 schools require urgent work.

Mr Campbell said responses to his earlier written questions revealed the Welsh Government “did not believe it had responsibility to collect this data centrally”.

Ms Neagle pointed to the Welsh Government’s announcement of an extra £35m for school and college repairs, with £20m earmarked for maintenance.

She pledged that funding to undertake repairs would be prioritised, arguing investment in Welsh schools is in “sharp contrast” to that over the border in England.

She told the Senedd: “What Plaid Cymru fails to ever do is recognise that when you call for money for things, you never have to actually identify where that money has to come from.”

“It’s your responsibility,” Mr Campbell heckled.

Ms Neagle continued: “Every week you stand up here and you call for different pots of funding … without any concept of what we’re doing in terms of trying to prioritise the budget.

“I’m proud of our record on school capital … we’re continuing to invest in school buildings.”

Calling for a national survey of the condition of school buildings, Mr Campbell argued funding allocated so far “won’t touch the sides” of the estimated £500m backlog.

“You don’t even know the extent of the problem because you don’t collect the data,” he said.

The former lecturer added: “Students’ educational attainment is enhanced and improves in schools with better physical learning environments.

“Labour in Wales is clearly failing pupils by not providing them with a safe environment in which to learn. This also has an impact on teachers, a recent survey found that a third of them said that poor buildings and facilities disempowered them professionally.”

Ms Neagle replied: “I find this line of questioning a little puzzling given we are making record amounts of investment in our school buildings. Nearly £2bn since this latest programme started on new buildings and that’s aside from the money we provide for repairs.”

A NEW youth-led project that aims to give children and young people a voice and an opportunity to amplify their views on child safety online issues is being launched in Wales.

The initiative is a partnership between the NSPCC and Platfform and will be led by an advisory group of young people aged 11-18 from across Wales. The group will also work with community and school groups.

The group aims to amplify young people’s voices and help them shape the future of online safety in Wales by sharing their perspectives with decision makers and those with responsibility for child safety online.

Some of the young people have already contributed to a meeting of the cross-party group on Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in the Senedd on Thursday.

Eight young people attended the event, including three from Platfform, to share their views with Senedd Members about peer-on-peer sexual harassment, including online.

One young person from Platfform said: “Being able to work with NSPCC on their new project is such a privilege. Being safe online is just as important as when you’re disconnected and interacting with the world around you.

“Safety is something everyone should consider online, whether that be the simple things like, keeping your social media private, only following people you know, not sharing personal information. 

“But keeping safe on the internet isn’t just about privacy, it’s also who you speak to and interact with. You never know who someone is nor what they look like, so you should always be mindful when talking to strangers online not just in the world around us. What does being safe online mean to you?”

Through regular meetings, workshops and events, the young people involved will have opportunities to discuss their experiences and provide insights into the key challenges of staying safe online.

It will explore what online safety currently looks like for children and young people in Wales, along with topics such as the effectiveness of controls, responses to harmful content, and concerns such as Artificial Intelligence, online advertising, privacy and education.

Natalie Lewis, Service Manager at Platfform, said: “We are delighted to be working alongside the NSPCC on this crucial project, which will ensure that young people in Wales have a say when it comes to improving online safety and protecting children in the digital world.

“Young people are spending an increasing amount of time online. The evidence points to children becoming active online sooner and using apps from a very young age. This coincides with an increased prevalence of online harms, abuse, and negative impacts associated with excessive use of technology.

“We hope to prioritise the lived experiences and insights of young people, providing them with a platform to share their views and ideas for change, and campaign for better education, resources, awareness and response to online harms.

“The project is youth-led, ensuring that the young people involved are not just participants but take the lead in identifying topics, creating advocacy materials, and designing solutions.”

Ruth Mullineux, Senior Policy and Public Affairs Officer at NSPCC Cymru, said: “Children’s voices are often missing from conversations about child safety online and yet it is crucial that we hear from young people about their views of online safety.

“Young people bring unique perspectives, experiences and valuable insights which help us to understand the true impact of online harm and enables us to identify the support needed to keep them safe. 

“By listening to young people and championing their voices, we can support decision makers and those with responsibility for child safety online in Wales to keep young people at the heart of solutions to online harm.”

For further information about the Platfform/NSPCC Amplifying Child Safety Online Project, email Natalie.Lewis@platfform.org