WORCESTERSHIRE County Council's hardline stance over unauthorised absence has been mirrored by the rest of the country, according to the Government.

Absence figures for 2006/07 have been released, outlining the days missed by pupils across England and Wales, either with or without permission. Worcestershire's unauthorised absence figure remains low compared to the rest of the country.

The number missing school without permission continues to rise in Worcestershire, however, in line with the county council's policy to encourage headteachers to crack down on those who do not have a good enough reason to be out of school.

Other local authorities have taken a similar stance, leading to a similar increase in county and national increases.

The overall unauthorised absence rate for Worcestershire is 0.76 per cent of half-day sessions missed by all pupils across the whole academic year. That works out at 0.31 per cent at primary level and 1.14 per cent at secondary level.

That compares to the national average of one per cent overall half-days missed, with 0.52 per cent at primary level and 1.50 per cent at secondary level.

In 2005/06, the Worcestershire overall rate of unauthorised absences was 0.63 per cent, with 0.27 per cent at primary level and 0.93 per cent at secondary level. The national figures were 0.79 per cent overall, with 0.46 per cent at primary level and 1.22 per cent at secondary level.

Worcestershire's approach to encourage headteachers to take a hardline approach was agreed with the then Department for Education and Skills in 2005.

When the figures were announced last week, Minister for Young People, Kevin Brennan, said: "It is no surprise when the unauthorised absence figure goes up because schools are taking a tougher stance on weak excuses they may once have authorised."

Conservative councillor, Liz Eyre, the county council's cabinet member for children and young people, said: "Raising standards in schools is a county council priority but we can only raise the educational achievement of our children if they're in school to receive a fair education.

"We at the county council have been praised for our absence work and it seems that our policy of getting tough has been replicated by other local authorities.

"Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery and other local authorities following suit is pleasing. In all seriousness, we must reiterate that our headteachers deserve the credit for getting tough with weak excuses because it can affect their performance in league tables.

"We will continue to work together to ensure that this success continues."