Overall School Attendance in Carmarthenshire remains lowest in Wales

Overall school attendance in Carmarthenshire remains the lowest in Wales, a council meeting heard.

Across the county, provisional attendance rates in March 2025 were:

• 88% for secondary schools

• 92.7% for primary schools

Although slightly below the Welsh average, a report presented to the council’s Education, Young People and Welsh Language Scrutiny Committee placed Carmarthenshire 22nd out of 22 local authority areas.

Addressing Inclusion and Home Education

Owain Lloyd, Director of Education and Children’s Services, said improving attendance was “probably our top priority” and that progress was being made. He noted, however, that progress was not consistent across the county and highlighted a wider “inclusion challenge” linked to additional learning needs, behaviour, and a rise in home-educated pupils.

At the end of 2024-25, Carmarthenshire had 694 home-educated pupils, a trend also seen in other parts of west Wales. Mr Lloyd suggested this could be due to parental lifestyles and concerns that the school curriculum wasn’t “rich enough”.

Committee member Deborah Elias, who home-educates her own daughter, said the approach was currently paying dividends and described negativity surrounding home education as “quite frustrating.”

Financial Challenges and Falling Pupil Numbers

The committee also discussed ongoing work to:

• Reduce school financial deficits

• Address the trend of falling pupil numbers

• Deliver the new curriculum

Referring to pupil numbers, Aneirin Thomas, Head of Education and Inclusion Services, acknowledged “genuine challenges” regarding the future of two secondary schools, though he did not specify which schools.

New-Build School Projects

Updates were provided on several new-build school projects:

• Ysgol Heol Goffa, Llanelli

• Ysgol Dewi Sant, Llanelli

• Ysgol Gwenllian, Kidwelly

Mr Lloyd confirmed that the Ysgol Heol Goffa project was moving forward, with a 75% funding contribution from the Welsh Government toward the estimated £35 million cost. The design was being refined before proceeding to planning and tendering.

Cllr Steve Williams expressed concern that a new Ysgol Dewi Sant at the former Llanelli Leisure Centre site could cause significant traffic problems, while acknowledging that pupils had waited a long time for a new school.

Mr Lloyd said a feasibility study on the site was underway and expected back by Christmas, taking into account road and parking considerations and determining if the site was suitable.

Smaller-Scale School Improvements

In addition to major new-build projects, a number of smaller improvements are planned or underway:

• New changing rooms at Ysgol Dyffryn Aman, Ammanford – £1.2 million

• New community hub at Queen Elizabeth High School, Carmarthen – £1 million