More than half of Ayrshire secondary pupils are missing an average of one day of school every fortnight, according to new research.

Figures released by the Commission on School Reform found that absences across Scotland’s schools had skyrocketed since the pandemic.

The report highlighted both North and East Ayrshire as two of the areas in Scotland worst hit by declining attendance.

In North Ayrshire, the number of secondary pupils attending less than 90 per cent of classes rose from 3,010 in 2017/18 to 4,315 in 2022/23.

The figures for the same time period for those attending less than 80 per cent of North Ayrshire classes rose from 1,185 to 2028.

And the number of pupils missing more more than 50 per cent of school shot up from 232 in 2017/18 to 524 in 2022/23.

In East Ayrshire, the number of secondary pupils attending less than 90 per cent of classes rose from 2,339 in 2017/18 to 3,390 in 2022/23.

The figures for the same time period for those attending less than 80 per cent of East Ayrshire classes rose from 898 to 1,655.

And the number of pupils missing more more than 50 per cent of school in East Ayrshire shot jumped from 241 in 2017/18 to 447 in 2022/23.

In South Ayrshire, the number of secondary pupils attending less than 90 per cent of classes rose from 2,248 in 2017/18 to 3,344 in 2022/23.

The figures for the same time period for those attending less than 80 per cent of South Ayrshire classes rose from 858 to 1,571.

And the number of pupils missing more more than 50 per cent of school there rose from 142 in 2017/18 to 338 in 2022/23.

The numbers were reflected in primary school attendances across Scotland during the time period.

North Ayrshire's primary schools saw numbers attending less than 80 per cent of school days rise from 372 in 2017/18 to 923 in 2022/23.

For East Ayrshire, 330 primary pupils attended less than 80 per cent of school in 2017/18, compared with 826 in 2022/23.

And for South Ayrshire, a total of 197 missed 80 per cent of school time in 2017.18, whiole the 2022/23 figure stood at 485.

The reports says there should be “an investigation into why an increasing number of children are regularly missing school, and why this has jumped up since the pandemic.”

They also want data on absences collected to be published more frequently. Currently, the figures are only produced biennially.

Across Scotland, one in eight pupils now miss a day a week, while two out of five miss a day every fortnight.

In total, 210,672 pupils from schools in Scotland had an attendance of less than 90 per cent in 2022/23, equivalent to 32 per cent of all pupils, while 79,633 had attendance of less than 80 per cent, equivalent to 12 per cent.

Compared to the years before the pandemic, the figures were 141,502 and 46,381, 21 per cent and seven per cent respectively.

A spokesperson for North Ayrshire Council said: “We are, of course, aware of the attendance figures for North Ayrshire and agree that this broadly reflects the picture across the whole country.

“Absence levels, both in North Ayrshire and across Scotland, have been affected by the pandemic and its aftermath.

“The pandemic appears to have had a more significant impact on children and young people from the most deprived areas of Scotland, and we are working hard to address this issue.

“We want our children and young people to achieve the best possible outcomes and that is why we have a strong focus on doing all we can to maximise attendance in school.

“This is a key feature of our plans for improvement, and we are committed to working with families, partners and the wider education system to understand and reduce barriers to attendance by providing a wide range of supports and opportunities to engage with learning successfully.”

The data was uncovered through Freedom of Information requests to Scotland’s 32 councils.

The Commission, set up by the Reform Scotland think tank, is calling on the Scottish Government to take the issue more seriously.

They say it is “worrying that this alarming trend is being met by a lack of urgency or concern from policymakers.”

Keir Bloomer, chair of the Commission on School Reform and former local authority Director of Education, said: “School absence is a matter of national importance and should be treated as such.

“Children who miss a large proportion of school time are less likely to attain and less likely to form good relationships, as well as being disruptive to the family environment at home and the learning environment in class.

“School education is the most important driver of individual and national success, and it is time we recognised these links.

“In a particularly alarming trend, the absence problem gets worse as children get older, with two in five children of exam age missing an average of a day’s school every fortnight.

“It is impossible for a child to reach their full potential with this level of absence, and we must collectively grasp this problem before more damage is done.”