Here are some more examples of teacher's complaints from the Log Book of Bwlch-y-sarnau School about children absent from school in Victorian times. There are lots more !
These entries in the school diary from different years cover some of the most common excuses for children being away ...

September 1874 - "Bad attendance at school this week, owing to the grain harvest".
June 1875 - "...this week many of the farmers are shearing their sheep, and the children are wanted to assist. Two unable to attend through illness".
September 1881 - "Several of the children are working at their homes; some idle, and others shamming illness..."

There was an awful lot of serious illness amongst children in Victorian times, so there were also a lot of cases of children "shamming illness", or pretending to be too ill to go to school.
There are more escapes from school on the next page...

Two slightly more unusual excuses...