Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

Absence rates by pupil characteristic - full academic years

Not the latest data

Published 19 October 2023

Last updated 19 October 2023

Absence information for the full academic year, by pupil characteristics including SEN, FSM, language, year group, gender and ethnicity for England.

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: Pupil absence in schools in England
• Release: Autumn and spring term 2022/23
• Number of rows: 174,468
• Geographic levels: Local authority, National, Regional
• Indicators:
  • Authorised absence rate
  • Authorised absence rate exact
  • Number of authorised absence sessions
  • Number of authorised absence sessions for persistent absentees
  • Number of authorised holiday sessions
  • Number of authorised other sessions
  • Number of authorised reasons sessions
  • Number of excluded sessions
  • Number of extended authorised holiday sessions
  • Number of illness sessions
  • Number of late sessions
  • Number of medical appointments sessions
  • Number of no reason yet sessions
  • Number of overall absence sessions
  • Number of overall absence sessions for persistent absentees
  • Number of overall reasons sessions
  • Number of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
  • Number of pupil enrolments
  • Number of religious observance sessions
  • Number of sessions possible
  • Number of sessions possible for persistent absentees
  • Number of sessions recorded as exceptional circumstances
  • Number of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
  • Number of severely absent pupils (50% or more missed)
  • Number of study leave sessions
  • Number of traveller sessions
  • Number of unauthorised absence sessions
  • Number of unauthorised absence sessions for persistent absentees
  • Number of unauthorised holiday sessions
  • Number of unauthorised other sessions
  • Number of unauthorised reasons sessions
  • Overall absence rate
  • Overall absence rate exact
  • Percentage of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
  • Percentage of severely absent pupils (50% or more missed)
  • Unauthorised absence rate
  • Unauthorised absence rate exact
• Filters:
  • Characteristic
  • School type
• Time period: 2017/18 to 2021/22

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Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data

time_identifier	absence_terms	time_period	geographic_level	country_code	country_name	region_code	region_name	old_la_code	new_la_code	la_name	school_type	characteristic	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_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
Academic year	Six half terms	202122	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000008	South East				Total	Ethnicity Minor Bangladeshi	7071	2483021	182663	138236	44427	7.35648	5.56725	1.78923	1702	24.070150000000	61	0.862680000000	575957	95208	65506	29702	16.5304	11.37342	5.15698	109739	6580	2980	1803	5	2873	z	812	11271	136063	13326	2571	25855	1754	43506	179569	23623	20020
Academic year	Six half terms	201819	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000009	South West				Total	FSM not eligible in last 6 years	516002	184893360	7671621	6048941	1622680	4.14921	3.27158	0.87763	38708	7.501520000000	2453	0.475390000000	12599423	2275001	1648899	626102	18.05639	13.0871	4.96929	4602013	516628	24300	62628	20379	171737	z	81016	499523	5978224	743337	88007	714360	55724	1601428	7579652	0	630482
Academic year	Six half terms	201819	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000005	West Midlands				State-funded primary	NC Year Not followed or missing	4084	112266	19698	7475	12223	17.54583	6.65829	10.88753	1675	41.013710000000	869	21.278160000000	40681	18063	6461	11602	44.40156	15.88211	28.51946	3110	255	112	4	54	78	z	269	3593	7475	1167	270	9938	848	12223	19698	0	40
Academic year	Six half terms	202122	Regional	E92000001	England	E13000002	Outer London				Total	SEN primary need No specialist assessment	3776	1353310	113707	77465	36242	8.40214	5.72411	2.67803	1049	27.780720000000	54	1.430080000000	361087	69107	41347	27760	19.1386	11.4507	7.6879	60394	5023	833	647	353	562	z	1913	7574	77299	4615	2272	27393	1923	36203	113502	12841	5291
Academic year	Six half terms	202122	Regional	E92000001	England	E13000002	Outer London				State-funded primary	FSM unclassified in last 6 years	7349	831197	90865	51313	39552	10.93182	6.17339	4.75844	2529	34.412850000000	672	9.144100000000	253134	70445	34916	35529	27.82913	13.79348	14.03565	34472	1790	873	7	100	527	z	232	13128	51129	9748	731	26844	1817	39140	90269	6895	2530

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Variables in this data set

Table showing all 39 variables

Variable name	Variable description
characteristic	Characteristic - Filter by characteristic
enrolments	Number of pupil enrolments
enrolments_pa_10_exact	Number of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	Percentage of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
enrolments_pa_50_exact	Number of severely absent pupils (50% or more missed)
enrolments_pa_50_exact_percent	Percentage of severely absent pupils (50% or more missed)
school_type	School type - Filter by school type - Total includes primary, secondary and special
sess_auth_appointments	Number of medical appointments sessions
sess_auth_excluded	Number of excluded sessions
sess_auth_ext_holiday	Number of extended authorised holiday sessions
sess_auth_holiday	Number of authorised holiday sessions
sess_auth_illness	Number of illness sessions
sess_auth_other	Number of authorised other sessions
sess_auth_religious	Number of religious observance sessions
sess_auth_study	Number of study leave sessions
sess_auth_totalreasons	Number of authorised reasons sessions
sess_auth_traveller	Number of traveller sessions
sess_authorised	Number of authorised absence sessions
sess_authorised_pa_10_exact	Number of authorised absence sessions for persistent absentees
sess_authorised_percent	Authorised absence rate
sess_authorised_percent_pa_10_exact	Authorised absence rate exact
sess_overall	Number of overall absence sessions
sess_overall_pa_10_exact	Number of overall absence sessions for persistent absentees
sess_overall_percent	Overall absence rate
sess_overall_percent_pa_10_exact	Overall absence rate exact
sess_overall_totalreasons	Number of overall reasons sessions
sess_possible	Number of sessions possible
sess_possible_pa_10_exact	Number of sessions possible for persistent absentees
sess_unauth_holiday	Number of unauthorised holiday sessions
sess_unauth_late	Number of late sessions
sess_unauth_noyet	Number of no reason yet sessions
sess_unauth_other	Number of unauthorised other sessions
sess_unauth_totalreasons	Number of unauthorised reasons sessions
sess_unauthorised	Number of unauthorised absence sessions
sess_unauthorised_pa_10_exact	Number of unauthorised absence sessions for persistent absentees
sess_unauthorised_percent	Unauthorised absence rate
sess_unauthorised_percent_pa_10_exact	Unauthorised absence rate exact
sess_x_covid	Number of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
sess_y_exceptional	Number of sessions recorded as exceptional circumstances

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Footnotes

1. 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.

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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Absence rates by pupil characteristic - full academic years statistics and data:

Attendance and exclusions statistics team

Email: schools.statistics@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Attendance and exclusions statistics team

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