Nearly half of all kids stay away from school

Robert BoltonEducation editor

Mar 24, 2020 – 12.00am

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Nearly 50 per cent of students stayed away from school yesterday, as parents ignored advice from the Prime Minister and the chief medical officer.

Compass Education, which runs online school management systems, said absenteeism jumped from 30 per cent on Friday to just under 50 per cent on Monday. It was only 10 per cent a week ago.

Robert Bolton is the Education editor. He covers primary and secondary education, universities and training. Connect with Robert on Twitter. Email Robert at rbolton@afr.com