Pupil absence in schools in England
Pupil absence, including overall, authorised and unauthorised absence and persistent absence by reason and pupil characteristics for the full academic year.
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Background information
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Headline facts and figures
Overall and persistent absence decreased from 2023/24 to 2024/25, while severe absence increased.
- Across 2024/25, the overall absence rate was 6.78%, a reduction from 7.15% in 2023/24, but higher than pre-pandemic rates (4.73% in 2018/19).
- The overall absence rate increased throughout the year, from 6.38% in autumn term, to 6.92% in spring and to 7.15% in summer.
- The majority of absence was due to illness, accounting for 3.22% of possible sessions in 2024/25.
- 18.14% of pupils were persistently absent in 2024/25 (i.e. missed 10% or more sessions), a decrease compared to the previous year when it was 19.95%. In 2018/19, 10.86% of pupils were persistently absent.
- The percentage of severely absent pupils (i.e. missing 50% or more sessions) was 2.39% in 2024/25, an increase from 2.30% in 2023/24. In 2018/19, 0.85% of pupils were severely absent.
Overall absence
Absence rate is the total number of sessions missed due to absence for all pupils as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions for all pupils. One session is equal to half a day.
Overall absence decreased compared to the previous academic year
The overall absence rate decreased to 6.78% in 2024/25, down from 7.15% in 2023/24, though is still higher than pre-pandemic levels (4.73% in 2018/19). Both authorised and unauthorised absence decreased; authorised decreased by 0.20 percentage points to 4.48% and unauthorised absence decreased by 0.17 percentage points to 2.30%.
Overall absence decreased across all school types
Across all school types overall absence in 2024/25 decreased compared to 2023/24:
- in primary schools from 5.53% to 5.20%
- in secondary schools from 8.89% to 8.44%
- in special schools from 13.01% to 12.76%
Both authorised and unauthorised absence decreased in primary and secondary schools compared to the previous academic year. In special schools, authorised absence decreased and unauthorised absence increased slightly.
The most common reason for absence was illness
Consistent with previous years, illness was the most common reason for absence in 2024/25. Illness decreased to 3.22% of possible sessions, from 3.46% in the previous academic year.
The unauthorised other category was the next highest reason for absence at 1.56%, a decrease from 1.70% in the previous year. This was followed by unauthorised holiday at 0.48% and authorised other at 0.40%.
Some changes to absence codes were introduced at the start of the 2024/25 academic year, as set out in the guidance working together to improve school attendance (opens in new tab). Absence for holidays during term time can no longer be authorised and new codes were introduced to record authorised absences due to attending an interview, taking part in a regulated performance, or having a temporary part-time timetable.
Overall absence peaked in the summer term
The overall absence rate increased across terms throughout 2024/25; from 6.38% in autumn, increasing to 6.92% in spring and to 7.15% in summer. This termly pattern was consistent across primary and secondary schools, while in special schools the rate decreased from spring to summer term.
Authorised absence was highest during the spring term at 4.75%, driven largely by illness. This was true for both primary and special schools, in contrast secondary schools experienced the highest rate of authorised absence in the summer term where a reduction in illness was largely off-set by an increase in study leave.
Unauthorised absence increased across terms to peak in summer at 2.80%, driven largely by unauthorised other and in part by an increase in summer unauthorised holidays (particularly in primary).
Further information is available on termly absence by school type.
Persistent and severe absence
A pupil enrolment is identified as persistently absent if 10% or more of possible sessions are missed, and severely absent if 50% or more of possible sessions are missed.
The persistent absence rate decreased and severe absence increased across all school types compared to the previous year
Approximately 1.34 million (18.14%) pupil enrolments were persistently absent in 2024/25, a decrease from 1.49 million (19.95%) in 2023/24. In 2018/19, prior to the pandemic, the persistent absence rate was 10.86%.
Approximately 176,000 (2.39%) pupil enrolments were severely absent in 2024/25, an increase from 171,000 (2.30%) in 2023/24. In 2018/19, before the pandemic, the severe absence rate was 0.85%.
A further breakdown of pupil enrolments by the percentage of sessions missed is available in the data catalogue of this release and in this featured table.
Please note: these pupils were recorded on the school census as being on the roll of a school, and had possible sessions recorded during the academic year. For information on the number of children who are not in education, please see: Children missing education
Persistent absence was highest in summer term 2024/25
In line with the increasing termly trend in overall absence in 2024/25, the persistent absence rate also increased term-on-term, from 17.79% in the autumn term to 20.06% in the spring term, and 21.72% in the summer term.
This termly increase was seen across primary and secondary schools, with persistent absence peaking in the summer term at 16.02% in primary schools and 27.74% in secondary schools.
Severe absence was highest in summer term 2024/25
The severe absence rate increased term-on-term, with the national rate peaking at 2.55% in the summer term.
In primary schools severe absence was highest in autumn term at 0.89%. In secondary and special schools severe absence was highest in summer term, at 4.31% and 7.34% respectively.
Pupil characteristics
The following section looks at absence rates by pupil characteristics, including free school meal eligibility, SEN provision, year group, sex, and ethnicity. Data for unclassified or unknown characteristics are not presented in the tables due to low numbers, which lead to volatile rates.
For comparison, the overall absence rate for pupils across all schools was 6.78% in 2024/25, the persistent absence rate was 18.14% and the severe absence rate was 2.39%.
Absence rates continued to be higher for particular groups of pupils including those eligible for free school meals (FSM) and pupils with special educational needs (SEN)
Free school meals (FSM) eligibility
Overall and persistent absence rates decreased for both pupils eligible and not eligible for FSM in 2024/25, compared to the previous year. The rate of overall absence for pupils eligible for FSM continued to be almost twice that of pupils not eligible. Pupils eligible for FSM are also over two and a half times as likely to be persistently absent as pupils not eligible for FSM.
Severe absence also decreased slightly for FSM eligible pupils but increased slightly for pupils not eligible for FSM. Pupils eligible for FSM remain over three and a half times more likely to be severe absentees than those not eligible for FSM.
Special educational needs (SEN)
Compared to the previous academic year, overall absence for pupils with an education, health and care (EHC) plan increased in 2024/25. Overall absence rates for pupil with SEN support and pupils with no identified SEN decreased.
Between 2023/24 and 2024/25 the overall absence gap has continued to increase between pupils with SEN (EHC plans and SEN support combined) and those with no identified SEN. The overall absence rate for pupils with SEN is over one and a half times that of pupils with no identified SEN.
Persistent absence rates decreased across all cohorts, regardless of SEN provision, compared to 2023/24. However, the gap between pupils with SEN and those with no identified SEN continued to increase.
Severe absence increased for pupils with EHC plans and SEN support but decreased for pupils with no identified SEN, widening the gap, with SEN pupils almost four times more likely to be a severe absentee than pupils with no identified SEN.
Year group
Generally, absence rates tend to increase as age increases. The highest overall, persistent and severe absence rates were in year 11 at 10.31%, 27.22%, and 4.94% respectively. Overall and persistent absence rates reduced in every year group since 2023/24. Severe absence increased in most year groups but years 7, 8 and 10 decreased.
In the primary phase, overall and persistent absence rates were highest in Year 1 and below. This year group also saw the largest proportional rise in severe absence.
The overall absence rate increases most between year 7 and year 8
As above, generally, absence rates increase as year group increases. In this section we look at the change of absence rates between year groups over different academic terms. For example, comparing the absence rate of year 7s in 2023/24 to the absence rate of year 8s in 2024/25.
Absence rates increase as pupils transition into older year groups, however the size of these increases is smaller this year than last year. For example, in 2023/24, the overall absence rate in year 7 was 6.94%. The difference between this absence rate, and the absence rate of those in year 8 in 2024/25 was 1.16 percentage points (pp) (8.10%). This is smaller than the 1.50 pp increase between year 7s in 2022/23 and year 8s in 2023/24.
For most secondary year groups, the size of the increase in absence rates has shrunk for transitions between 2023/24 and 2024/25 compared to transitions between 2022/23 and 2023/24:
| Transition | Change from 2022/23 to 2023/24 | Change from 2023/24 to 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Year 6 to year 7 | +0.99 pp | +0.66 pp |
| Year 7 to year 8 | +1.50 pp | +1.16 pp |
| Year 8 to year 9 | +0.99 pp | +0.57 pp |
| Year 9 to year 10 | +0.40 pp | +0.07 pp |
| Year 10 to year 11 | +0.37 pp | +0.20 pp |
During transitions between primary year groups, the absence rate drops. The largest decreases are seen between year 2 to year 3. However, the size of the decreases in absence rate during these transitions has increased for the other primary year groups when comparing the transitions between 2023/24 to 2024/25 and the transitions between 2022/23 to 2023/24:
| Transition | Change from 2022/23 to 2023/24 | Change from 2023/24 to 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|
| Year 2 to year 3 | -0.58 pp | -0.46 pp |
| Year 3 to year 4 | -0.27 pp | -0.31 pp |
| Year 4 to year 5 | -0.13 pp | -0.23 pp |
| Year 5 to year 6 | -0.12 pp | -0.22 pp |
Ethnicity
In the academic year 2024/25, Irish traveller and Gypsy/Roma pupils continued to have the highest overall absence rates at 21.45% and 17.38%, respectively. Chinese and Black African pupils had the lowest overall absence rates at 2.91% and 3.80%.
Irish Traveller and Gypsy/Roma pupils also had the highest persistent and severe absence rates, continuing trends seen in previous years.
Ethnicity by FSM eligibility
Further information on absence rates by ethnicity and FSM eligibility is available in the data catalogue, or you can create your own tables using the table tool.
Sex
Males continued to have slightly lower overall, persistent, and severe absence rates than females.
Young carers
Between 2023/24 and 2024/25 the overall and persistent absence rates for pupils identified as young carers decreased.
The overall absence rate for pupils identified as young carers was over one and a half times that for pupils with no young carer status declared, and young carers were almost twice as likely to be persistently absent.
Data on absence rates for young carers was available for the first time in 2022/23. As this is a new data collection, we expect the quality of the data returns to improve over time as the collection becomes established. All schools (except nursery) must send this information as part of the Spring school census, but the recording and handling of the information is at the school’s discretion. Not all young carers will be identified to their school as such, so they will not all be counted as young carers in the statistics.
Pupils with post looked after arrangements
Between 2023/24 and 2024/25 overall absence and persistent absence decreased across all pupil post looked after care groups. Pupils having left care due to a child arrangements order continued to have the highest rates of overall and persistent absence, at 9.38% and 26.68% respectively. From all previously in care groups and pupils with no declaration of previous care, adopted children continued to have the lowest rates of overall and persistent absence, at 6.16% and 13.52% respectively.
The information on previously looked after arrangements is taken from the school census, where children are reported as having previously left care due to adoption, a special guardianship order (SGO) or a child arrangements order (CAO) only if their parents/carers have declared this information to the school. Therefore, the data is reliant on self-declaration from parents and is a partial rather than a full count.
Geographical variations
In 2024/25, London had the lowest overall and severe absence rates at 6.29% and 1.63% respectively. The East Midlands had the lowest persistent absence at 17.34%.
The North East had the highest overall and persistent absence rates at 7.17% and 19.37% respectively. Yorkshire and the Humber had the highest severe absence rate at 2.86%.
Overall absence and persistent absence decreased in every region from 2023/24 to 2024/25, whereas severe absence increased in every region.
Absence in state-funded alternative provision
State-funded alternative provision (AP) includes pupil referral units, alternative provision academies and alternative provision free schools.
Absence in state-funded alternative provision continues to increase
The overall absence rate in state-funded AP increased from 42.50% in 2023/24 to 42.85% in 2024/25. The authorised absence rate increased, but the unauthorised absence rate decreased.
Further absence and attendance data sources
Further data from this release is available in the data catalogue, or use the table tool to view featured tables or create your own tables using:
- absence by pupil characteristics including SEN primary need
- pupil enrolments with one or more absences
- school level absence
- absence for 4 year olds
Further information on absence by severity of absence and year group is also available in the dataset ‘Absence rate as a percentage of possible sessions by 5% bands with pupil characteristics’. The data can be filtered by pupil characteristics including SEN, sex and FSM, at national, regional and local authroity levels. Data is presented for state-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools between 2016/17 and 2024/25.
Official statistics produced from daily data submitted automatically by schools to the DfE are available in the Pupil attendance in schools publication. Due to the timeliness of the data the figures are estimates that we expect to change as registers are adjusted. They should be viewed as an early indicator for the data provided in later accredited official statistics releases.
Contact us
If you have a specific enquiry about Pupil absence in schools in England statistics and data:
Attendance and exclusions statistics team
Email: schools.statistics@education.gov.ukContact name: Attendance and exclusions statistics team
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