Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

Absence rates by pupil characteristics - autumn term

Latest data

Published 7 August 2025

Last updated 7 August 2025

Absence information by pupil characteristics including special education need (SEN), free school meal (FSM) eligibility, language, year group, sex and ethnicity.

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: Pupil absence in schools in England
• Release: Autumn term 2024/25
• Number of rows: 242,000
• Geographic levels: Local authority, National, Regional
• Indicators:
  • Authorised absence rate
  • Authorised absence rate for persistent absentees
  • Number of authorised absence sessions
• Filters:
  • Characteristic
  • School type
• Time period: 2019/20 Autumn term to 2024/25 Autumn term

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Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data

time_period	time_identifier	geographic_level	country_code	country_name	region_code	region_name	old_la_code	new_la_code	la_name	education_phase	characteristic	characteristic_breakdown	enrolments	sess_possible	sess_overall	sess_authorised	sess_unauthorised	sess_overall_percent	sess_authorised_percent	sess_unauthorised_percent	enrolments_pa_10_exact	enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	enrolments_pa_50_exact	enrolments_pa_50_exact_percent	sess_possible_pa_10_exact	sess_overall_pa_10_exact	sess_authorised_pa_10_exact	sess_unauthorised_pa_10_exact	sess_overall_percent_pa_10_exact	sess_authorised_percent_pa_10_exact	sess_unauthorised_percent_pa_10_exact	sess_auth_illness	sess_auth_appointments	sess_auth_religious	sess_auth_study	sess_auth_traveller	sess_auth_holiday	sess_auth_ext_holiday	sess_auth_excluded	sess_auth_interview	sess_auth_reg_performance	sess_auth_temp_reduced_timetable	sess_auth_other	sess_auth_totalreasons	sess_unauth_holiday	sess_unauth_late	sess_unauth_other	sess_unauth_noyet	sess_unauth_totalreasons	sess_overall_totalreasons	sess_x_covid	sess_y_exceptional	sess_x_covid_rate	sess_q_la_arrangements
202425	Autumn term	National	E92000001	England						State-funded primary	SEN primary need	Down Syndrome	703	99551	10840	9402	1438	10.88889	9.44441	1.44449	246	34.99289	23	3.27169	34158	8058	6909	1149	23.59037	20.22659	3.36378	5533	1468	10	0	0	z	z	10	10	7	1445	919	9402	483	192	737	26	1438	10840	z	351	z	0
202425	Autumn term	National	E92000001	England						State-funded secondary	SEN primary need	Hearing impairment	9238	1285845	109204	72212	36992	8.49278	5.61592	2.87686	2255	24.41005	253	2.73869	308233	76303	44467	31836	24.75497	14.42642	10.32855	50821	9448	65	36	73	z	z	3039	138	71	3445	5076	72212	4646	3200	28696	450	36992	109204	z	8677	z	119
202425	Autumn term	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West				Special	SEN provision	Unclassified	70	1896	1177	818	359	62.07806	43.14346	18.9346	54	77.14286	48	68.57143	1429	1170	811	359	81.87544	56.75297	25.12246	286	13	0	0	0	z	z	66	0	0	48	405	818	22	0	297	40	359	1177	z	183	z	2
202425	Autumn term	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West				Special	Sex	Female	5984	841015	104988	78712	26276	12.48349	9.35917	3.12432	2091	34.94318	377	6.30013	288670	85389	61664	23725	29.58014	21.36142	8.21873	47882	9596	71	0	79	z	z	847	15	53	7569	12600	78712	3737	2182	19929	428	26276	104988	z	6507	z	237
202425	Autumn term	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000007	London				Special	NC Year	Year 2	1138	160573	18856	15879	2977	11.74295	9.88896	1.85399	436	38.31283	39	3.42707	60979	14455	11963	2492	23.70488	19.61823	4.08665	10696	2043	7	1	0	z	z	0	0	0	285	2847	15879	335	599	1741	302	2977	18856	z	790	z	57

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Variables in this data set

Table showing first 5 of 44 variables

Variable name	Variable description
characteristic_breakdown	Characteristic - Filter by pupil characteristic
education_phase	School type - Filter by school type
enrolments	Number of pupil enrolments
enrolments_pa_10_exact	Number of persistent absentees (10% missed)
enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	Percentage of persistent absentees (10% missed)

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Footnotes

1. Total includes state-funded primary, secondary and special schools. Data for special schools is available from 2016/17 to present.
2. Sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances are included as possible sessions in 2020/21 and 2021/22 only, but not as an absence within absence rates.
3. EHC plans – A pupil has an EHC plan when a formal assessment has been made. A document is in place that sets out the child’s need and the extra help they should receive. EHC plans were introduced in September 2014 replacing Statements of SEN, with these being phased out by April 2018. This category therefore includes Statements of SEN for the years up to 2018.
4. SEN support - From 2015, the School Action and School Action Plus categories were combined to form one category of SEN support. Extra or different help is given from that provided as part of the school’s usual curriculum. The class teacher and special educational needs co-ordinator (SENCO) may receive advice or support from outside specialists. The pupil does not have an Education, Health and Care plan.
5. From 2023/24 the school census data item ‘sex’ replaced ‘gender’. Historical use of the word “gender” in the data collection may have meant that “gender identity” was reported in some cases, as opposed to legal sex. While this is unlikely to have a significant effect on overall figures, it may affect figures in more granular subdivisions. This category is presented as a single time-series but prior to spring 2023 any data was reported as 'gender'.

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