The number of children who are out of school has more than doubled in the past school year compared to pre-pandemic levels.
On average, 16.3% of secondary school students were absent in 2021-22, up from 6.2% in 2018-19, Welsh Government figures show. The absenteeism of students from poorer backgrounds was higher.
Principals said some students “simply broke the habit of attending regularly and never fully engaged again.”
The Welsh Government said it has spent £4million on her roles as Family Engagement Officer.
In primary schools, 11% of students were missing, compared with 5.4% before Covid.
The average absenteeism rate for children eligible for free school meals was nearly 18%, compared to 11.8% for students without entitlement.
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Rates were broadly similar for eight years before the Covid pandemic significantly disrupted school operations.
In the first numbers since classes fully returned to the classroom, rates have risen to 13.2% across all schools.
End-of-school figures showed that 426,783 students (88.5%) were absent for more than a week for any reason between September 2021 and July 2022.
More than 68,000 students were absent for more than 40 days.
Around 30% of all absences were unauthorized – this also includes unjustified absences or unscheduled vacation days.
There’s a small difference between the 2018-19 data – which captures students of legal school age – and last year’s data, which covers students of all ages, but that doesn’t explain the big difference.
In 2019, the overall turnout was around 94%.
Fines for parents if their children miss school have been suspended during the pandemic, but amid concerns about school enrollment numbers, Education Secretary Jeremy Miles said earlier this year councils and schools could reintroduce them.
Fixed punishments were to be used only “in the most extreme cases” as part of a range of options and where all efforts to engage with the family had been tried and failed.
Principals said the pandemic was having a “devastating” impact on attendance.
“It seems very likely that some students just got out of the habit of attending regularly and never got fully engaged again, while others have suffered from stress and anxiety as a result of the pandemic and their attendance has suffered as a result,” Eithne Hughes said, Cymru , Director of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL).
“In either scenario, many of the students affected will be vulnerable and disadvantaged young people and this is a major cause for concern.”
She called on the Welsh Government and Councils to ensure there is Covid testing in the autumn, good ventilation in schools and funding for teaching assistants to ensure disruption is kept to a minimum when the Covid outbreak cases are increasing.
Covid itself had a direct impact on absenteeism this year, with 69.1% of students missing at least half a day of school as a result.
The numbers also showed that about one in five students was absent for between five and 10 days.
Covid-related absenteeism peaked in January, when infections among school-age children were at their highest.
They rose again in April but fell back to 1.7% of students by July.
Andrew RT Davies, leader of the Welsh Conservatives, said: “It’s important for children to be in the classroom and learn from their teachers in a personal setting.
“Labor ministers need to get serious about addressing attendance issues before we have a lost generation on our hands.”
The Welsh Government said: “We have recently allocated nearly £4million to Family Engagement Officers to build positive relationships with parents and provide tailored support and information on good participation.
“Schools that know their families well can ensure that action is taken to help children maintain good engagement and participation, which is why our focus on community-focused schools is key to addressing this challenge.
“This year we have also allocated £24million focused on learners in exam years, including specific funding for an attendance officer in each local authority to support Year 11 learners and try to ensure they get their complete GCSEs.”
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