Primary schools in Merton borough have the third lowest truancy rate in London, according to a study released this week.
The Office of National Statistics’ latest figures show only 0.46 per cent of school sessions were missed due to unauthorised absence in the borough between Autumn 2008 and Spring 2009.
Only Harrow and the City of London scored more favourably, at 0.44 per cent and 0.34 per cent respectively.
Councillor Debbie Shears, cabinet member for children's services said: "Merton’s strategy to improve attendance has been to work towards ensuring that all pupils achieve and feel motivated to attend school.
She added: “The strategies we have in place to combat truancy in schools are paying off and it’s great to see that when measured against other London boroughs, Merton rates well."
Out of a total of 2,791,420 possible school sessions in Merton, only 12,780 were missed due to unauthorised absence.
Merton’s rate is significantly lower that the average for London’s outer boroughs, which is 0.87 per cent.
The highest rate in London was in Newham, at 1.4 per cent, while the highest in the country was in Slough, at 1.61 per cent.
But Merton did not score quite as well in terms of persistent truancy, with 230 of its 11,430 school children being classed as persistent absentees.
This represents a rate of 2.3 per cent, two percentage points higher than outer London’s average.
The council has attempted to tackle truancy using electronic registration systems and making contact with parents either in person or by text on the first day of absence.
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