Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

Absence for pupils with post looked after arrangements (PLAA)

Latest data

Published 20 March 2025

Last updated 20 March 2025

Overall absence for all enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools for pupils with post looked after arrangements

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: Pupil absence in schools in England
• Release: Academic year 2023/24
• Geographic levels: National
• Indicators:
  • Authorised absence rate
  • Number of authorised absence sessions
  • Number of authorised holiday sessions
• Filters:
  • Post looked after arrangement
  • School type
• Time period: 2018/19 to 2023/24

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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	education_phase	plaa	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	sess_auth_illness	sess_auth_appointments	sess_auth_religious	sess_auth_study	sess_auth_traveller	sess_auth_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	sess_auth_illness_rate	sess_auth_appointments_rate	sess_auth_religious_rate	sess_auth_study_rate	sess_auth_traveller_rate	sess_auth_holiday_rate	sess_auth_excluded_rate	sess_auth_other_rate	sess_auth_totalreasons_rate	sess_unauth_holiday_rate	sess_unauth_late_rate	sess_unauth_other_rate	sess_unauth_noyet_rate	sess_unauth_totalreasons_rate	sess_overall_totalreasons_rate	sess_x_covid_rate	sess_y_exceptional_rate
Academic year	Six half terms	202324	National	E92000001	England	Total	Not declared	7396210	2600054950	185830300	121491880	64338420	7.15	4.67	2.47	1476030	19.96	90035800	8019740	1480910	1342450	257960	1353040	3975390	13954460	120419750	13779410	4767420	44099840	1295900	63942570	184362320	0	5449680	3.46	0.31	0.06	0.05	0.01	0.05	0.15	0.54	4.63	0.53	0.18	1.7	0.05	2.46	7.09	0	0.21
Academic year	Six half terms	202324	National	E92000001	England	Total	Adopted children	30030	10751580	664040	495480	168550	6.18	4.61	1.57	4180	13.92	295620	52870	1020	5020	c	10710	23370	101490	490100	38930	12670	112310	3660	167570	657660	0	19240	2.75	0.49	0.01	0.05	c	0.1	0.22	0.94	4.56	0.36	0.12	1.04	0.03	1.56	6.12	0	0.18
Academic year	Six half terms	202324	National	E92000001	England	Total	Special guardianship order	21510	7572350	645500	414700	230810	8.52	5.48	3.05	5110	23.77	252990	33490	730	2900	360	7000	30140	82320	409920	37950	18150	169030	4370	229490	639410	0	16040	3.34	0.44	0.01	0.04	0	0.09	0.4	1.09	5.41	0.5	0.24	2.23	0.06	3.03	8.44	0	0.21
Academic year	Six half terms	202324	National	E92000001	England	Total	Child arrangements order	5980	2049920	195070	116470	78600	9.52	5.68	3.83	1700	28.34	69910	8350	550	960	40	1350	8380	26410	115950	8920	8130	59690	1530	78270	194220	0	3860	3.41	0.41	0.03	0.05	0	0.07	0.41	1.29	5.66	0.44	0.4	2.91	0.07	3.82	9.47	0	0.19
Academic year	Six half terms	202324	National	E92000001	England	Total	Total	7453730	2620428800	187334910	122518530	64816380	7.15	4.68	2.47	1487020	19.95	90654320	8114440	1483200	1351340	258370	1372090	4037280	14164670	121435720	13865210	4806370	44440870	1305450	64417900	185853610	0	5488820	3.46	0.31	0.06	0.05	0.01	0.05	0.15	0.54	4.63	0.53	0.18	1.7	0.05	2.46	7.09	0	0.21

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Variables in this data set

Table showing first 5 of 46 variables

Variable name	Variable description
education_phase	School type - Filter by school type - Total includes primary, secondary and special
enrolments	Number of pupil enrolments
enrolments_pa_10_exact	Number of persistent absentees
enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	Percentage of persistent absentees
plaa	Post looked after arrangement - Filter by characteristic

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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. Numbers rounded to nearest 10, 1 to 5 suppressed to preserve confidentiality, zero shown as zero.
4. Data is not available for all children who have post looked after arrangements.  The information 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.

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