ONE in five secondary pupils in Worcester played truant last year, new figures reveal.

Shocking statistics show 21.2 per cent of comprehensive pupils - 1,208 out of 5,687 - skipped lessons without permission at least once in the 2003/4 school year.

Despite Government measures to combat truancy, the scale of the problem is almost as bad as in 1997/8, when 22 per cent of pupils played truant.

But the figures, released by the Department for Education and Skills, show significant inroads have been made into primary school truancy.

The proportion of primary pupils who skip class has fallen from 14 per cent in 1997/8 to 7.8 last year - 511 out of 6,524.

Truancy levels are lower in rural Worcestershire's, although Government initiatives have had little impact on secondary truancy.

Classes were missed by 10.3 per cent of West Worcestershire's secondary pupils in 2003/4 - down from 11 per cent in 1997/8. In Mid-Worcestershire it fell from 12 per cent to 10.7 per cent across the same period.

Primary school truancy in West Worcestershire halved, from nine per cent to 4.5 per cent, but in Mid-Worcestershire it went up, from 10 per cent to 11.7 per cent.

The National Audit Office found truancy in England has not fallen even though £885m has been spent on boosting attendance.

Steve Wilkinson, the county council's principal education welfare officer, said: "We find it difficult to comment on these figures as we've never seen them or validated them yet.

"The only officially recognised figures we are working with at the moment are the Office of National Statistics figures released in September last year.

"In terms of Worcester City compared to the rest of the county, we'd find it difficult to argue that unauthorised absence rates are higher in the city than the county.

"However, compared to the national average, Worcester City is only 80 per cent of the rate for England and Wales figure.

"This rate has also come down from the previous year, while the national average is increasing.

"We have truancy sweeps with the police to challenge children and young people of school age that are out and about during school hours."