Absences data: 1 in 5 children still 'persistently' missing school - report shows why it matters for GCSEs

• Absence figures for the full 2023/24 school year have finally been released
• The overall absence rate and the amount of persistent absentees are both down a little on the previous year
• But these figures remain much higher than in 2018/19 - before the pandemic
• The amount of ‘severely’ absent students missing more than half of their school sessions rose a little - representing more than 170 thousand pupils
• Another new report shows chronic absenteeism can have a big impact on how teens do in their GCSEs

One in 5 children were still ‘persistently’ absent from school in the last academic year - and it could be having a big impact on their education.

On Thursday (March 20), the Government published its updated absence and attendance figures, covering the whole 2023/24 school year. They show what appear to be minor overall improvements to absence rates and the proportion of students missing large chunks of class time, although these remain markedly higher than they did before the Covid-19 pandemic rocked the country.

There has been a recent Government crackdown on children missing class. As of August, the fines families face for taking children out of school for unauthorised family holidays has gone up from £60 to £80 - and schools now have to consider fining parents who do this. The new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, currently making its way through parliament, would also see a register of children missing from education created - to make sure they aren’t slipping through the cracks.

The Department for Education previously said that missed days at schools added up quickly. “Evidence shows that pupils who have good attendance enjoy better wellbeing and school performance than those who don't.”

Last week, it released a new report on the links between a child’s attendance, and their attainment at school - showing just how much of a difference it can make.

Here’s what the absence figures for England looked like over the most recent school year - and what impact chronic absenteeism can have on GCSEs and other important learning milestones:

Absences down a little - but remain stubbornly above pre-pandemic figures

The overall absence rate - or the percentage of half-days missed for all pupils - for the 2023/24 school year was 7.1%, the new data shows, a slight drop on the previous year’s figure of 7.4%. A whopping one in five pupils (20%) were classified as ‘persistently absent’, meaning they missed at least 10% of half-day class sessions. But again, this was down on the school year before it, which had 21.2% of pupils deemed persistently absent.

Although both of these figures represent a small improvement on the 2022/23 school year, as the UK approaches the fifth anniversary of the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdown, they still remain stubbornly higher than pre-pandemic figures. In the 2018/19 academic year, the overall absence rate was just 4.7% - while the percentage of persistently absent pupils sat at 10.9%.

Back to the 2023/24 school year, authorised absences decreased, while unauthorised absences rose slightly - most notably in secondary schools. The most common reason for absences overall was illness, although this dropped a little on the year before, while the rate of unauthorised absences driven by families taking term-time holidays remained steady.

Unlike persistent absentees, the proportion of pupils deemed to be ‘severely absent’ - or missing at least 50% of half-days at school - rose in the last school year, from 2% to 2.3%. This represents some 171 thousand pupils missing large chunks of their education.

Big differences between regions and the students missing the most school

Absence rates varied by region in the 2023/24 school year too. Greater London had the lowest overall, persistent, and severe absence rates at 6.4%,17.9% and 1.5%, respectively. Meanwhile, the North East had the highest overall and persistent absence rates at 7.8% and 22.1% respectively, while the South West had the highest severe absence rate at 2.8%.

They varied based on pupils’ demographic characteristics too. The overall absence rate for pupils eligible for free school meals - only available to those whose families are entitled to benefits or earn below a set income threshold - was 11%, compared to 5.8% for those who weren’t. A substantial 34.8% of free school meal-eligible pupils were persistently absent, compared to 14.1% of their peers.

The overall absence rate for pupils with an Education, Health and Care plan (EHCP) in place was 12.6% in 2023/24, a slight increase on the year before. This compares to 10.2% for pupils with special educational needs (SEN) support - and 6.3% for those with no identified SEN.

“Generally, absence rates tend to increase as age increases”, the Department wrote. The same held true last year: both the highest overall and persistent absence rates were among Year 11 pupils, at at 10.6% and 29.2%, respectively.

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Every little bit counts for GCSEs

The Department for Education’s new report showed that attainment and attendance had strong ties throughout a young person’s school career.

Pupils who attended school nearly every day in Year 11 were almost twice as likely to achieve a Grade 5 - considered a strong pass - in their English and Maths GCSEs, compared to pupils who only attended 90 to 95% of the time. This means missing just 10 days of Year 11 reduced the likelihood of getting a strong pass in these required subjects by around 50%.

The data demonstrated that every little bit can count, when it comes to your child making the most of their education. But it wasn’t just GCSEs that were affected.

Primary pupils who attended school nearly every day in Year 6 were 1.3 times more likely to achieve the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths compared to pupils who only attended 90-95% of the time. This means missing just 10 days shaved down their chances by around 25%.

At both stages and no matter how often they attended school to begin with, just an extra two weeks per year of going to class boosted their odds of meeting these markers of success - by 30% for Year 6 pupils, and by 10% for Year 11s.

What do you think about the measures being taken to improve school attendance? Let us know and make your voice heard by leaving a comment below.