One headteacher has also shared tips for parents on who to get children to classes post pandemic
A headteacher of a school with one of the highest attendance rates in Wales has shared her recipe for success as the Welsh Government struggles to tackle stubborn absence rates since the pandemic. It comes as the schools with the highest attendance rates are revealed.
Eleri Jones, acting headteacher at Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili, believes schools will never return to all-Wales pre-pandemic attendance levels because so much has changed. But she insists it is possible to get more children in more often with the right approach.
Ygol Gymraeg Caerffili, which has a catchment including some of the most deprived areas in Wales, recorded a 98.2% attendance rate in September 2025, compared to the all-Wales average of 93.4% for primary schools and 90.6% for secondaries – and even lower for some areas and groups. Some school leaders say they want more parents fined for not sending their children in but not all agree with this policy.
Currently an average 8.2% of all half day school sessions are being missed in Wales, with higher absence among least well off pupils and those in key exam years, but not at a handful of schools which have bucked the trend. Read the biggest stories in Wales first by signing up to our daily newsletter here.
The Welsh Government, which has an attendance task force trying to address how to get more children into school, said Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili has “one of the highest attendance rates in Wales” – while data appears to show it is the highest.
Either way, Eleri puts the school’s success down to spending its budget on staff, including family welfare officers and maintaining good communication with families, children and staff.
She says activities pupils want to attend are run during and outside school hours to encourage them in. Funding can be provided if families cannot afford school trips, including residentials.
Pupil attendance is monitored to track any absence patterns, such as Fridays or Mondays. Families are contacted whenever a child does not come to school, asked why they aren’t in and encouraged to find solutions. Absence fines are never issued.
Eleri has herself gone to absent pupils’ homes on occasion to persuade them to get up and come to lessons, with the parents’ blessing, she said.
Local authority data, released by the Welsh Government, shows the highest attendance rates this term are in these schools, all of which are primaries, and all but two of which are in Monmouthshire:
- Ygol Gymraeg Caerffili 98.2%
- Osbaston Primary, Monmouthshire 97.79%
- Raglan Primary, Monmouthshire 97.16%
- Shirenewton Primary, Monmouthshire 97.10%
- Trellech Primary, Monmouthshire 97.53%
- Wolfscastle, Pembrokeshire had an attendance rate of 97.4%.
“We have a 100% whole school approach – there’s a saying it takes a village to raise a child and it takes a whole school,” says Eleri.
Ygol Gymraeg Caerffili made a “deliberate choice” to create income by selling its expertise to Estyn and Cardiff Metropolitan University for inspections and teacher training.
That means all the local authority budget for the 430-pupil school is used for staff costs with 45 staff, including 16 teachers in 12 classes, all of which have a teaching assistant. The school also employs a full time health and wellbeing office and a family liaison officer.
While 15% of the school’s 430 pupils are eligible for free school meals a free breakfast club for all children runs from 8am each day which around half attend.
“You have to get to know your school and it’s about relationships with staff, pupils and parents,” the headteacher continued.
“It’s all about excellent teaching and learning experiences and making children feel they want to be in school, are safe and happy and are missing out if they’re not here.
“We have lunch and after school clubs every day and we make sure children are with their friends in classes and on school trips.
“We receive this extra money and this was a deliberate choice to create income,” says Eleri, “we use 100% of our local authority budget on staff.”
Absence rates rise when children go up to secondary school which Caerphilly Borough Education welfare officer Jennie Francis says the council is also focused on.
“If children are identified as needing additional support before going to secondary we will take them in to meet the wellbeing staff or visit the buildings with their parents so they know their way around the school and have an emotiona connection with the staff before starting.
“For the full year six cohort there are three transition sessions to get them used to the high school, but there can be more if needed.”
LatestWelsh Governmentschoolattendance data September to November 2025 – with 2019 pre-pandemic comparison in brackets
- Percentage of sessions present 91.8 (94.3)
- Percentage of sessions of authorised absence 5.2 (4.2)
- Percentage of sessions of unauthorised absence 3.0 (1.5)
- Percentage of sessions of all absence 8.2 (5.7)
- Per centage of pupils present for this school year September to November 2025
- All school pupils eligible for free school meals 86.5%
- All school pupils not eligible for free school meals 93.4%
All-Wales attendance
- Primary schools 93.4%
- Secondary schools 90.6%
- Middle schools 90.3%
- Special schools 86%
School attendance by school year group
- Year One 93%
- Year Two 93.5%
- Year Three 93.6%
- Year Four 93.5%
- Year Five 93.4%
- Year Six 93.1%
- Year Seven 93.7%
- Year Eight 90.6%
- Year Nine 89.3%
- Year 10 89.4%
- Year 11 88.4%
Average absence of pupils aged 5 to 15, by local authority, for the 2025/26 academic year to date
The highest school absence rates are in Carmarthenshire and Rhondda Cynon Taf both at 9% and Bleanau Gwent at 8.9%. The lowest absence rate is Monmouthshire with 6.6%.
Anglesey 8.7%
Gwynedd 8.3%
Conwy 9.5%
Denbighshire 8.9%
Flintshire 8.1%
Wrexham 8.4%
Powys 7.9%
Ceredigion 7.8%
Pembrokeshire 8.2%
Swansea 8.2%
Neath Port Talbot 8.6%
Bridgend 8.5%
Vale of Glamorgan 7.5%
Rhondda Cynon Taf 9%
Merthyr Tydfil 8.6%
Caerphilly 7.8%
Blaenau Gwent 8.9%
Torfaen 7.9%
Monmouthshire 6.6%
Newport 7.4%
Cardiff 7.4%
The Welsh Government said attendance rates are slightly up year on year: “There are a range of reasons or underlying causes for learner absence. Effective relationships between schools and families are essential and, to support this work, £7m in Welsh Government funding has been provided this year to help children re-engage with school.
“This funding package includes an extra £3 million for family engagement officers, £2 million for enrichment activities, £1 million to further embed the role of community focussed schools, and £1 million for our food and fun, school holiday enrichment programme.”
Responding to the high attendance rates at Ysgol Gymraeg Caerffili Education Minister Lynne Neagle said: “Toensure every child accesses the education they deserve, we must continue to address the barriers that prevent learners from attending school. This school demonstrates what’s possible when we combine targeted support with strong family and wider community engagement.”
It is for local councils and schools to identify how to prioritise and use their family engagement officer funding, the Welsh Government added.
