Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

Absence by pupil characteristics - autumn and spring terms combined

Latest data

Published 23 October 2025

Last updated 23 October 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 and spring term 2024/25
• Number of rows: 267,430
• Geographic levels: Local authority, National, Regional
• Indicators:
  • Overall absence rate
  • Authorised absence rate
  • Number of authorised absence sessions
• Filters:
  • Characteristic
  • School type
• Time period: 2016/17 Autumn and spring term to 2024/25 Autumn and spring 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 and spring term	National	E92000001	England						Total	First language	First language known or believed to be English	5735548	1453019494	99805887	68354848	31451039	6.86886	4.70433	2.16453	1036781	18.07641	142031	2.47633	245067190	58930355	34686122	24244233	24.04661	14.15372	9.89289	50981587	4779144	464253	31080	128022	z	z	2373202	158624	62333	3689495	5687112	68354852	4993328	3375197	22612719	469895	31451139	99805991	z	6262568	z	58114
202425	Autumn and spring term	National	E92000001	England						State-funded primary	Total	Total	3865079	978515379	50480490	37519242	12961248	5.15889	3.8343	1.32458	514601	13.31411	35424	0.91651	120245526	22067169	14387614	7679555	18.35176	11.9652	6.38656	29770158	2470521	682131	3781	106804	z	z	287955	86956	30028	1179290	2901622	37519246	4603345	1552750	6547030	258183	12961308	50480554	z	2329466	z	17093
202425	Autumn and spring term	National	E92000001	England						Special	Minor ethnic groups	Bangladeshi	2517	633963	84192	67381	16811	13.28027	10.62854	2.65173	1110	44.10012	117	4.64839	276941	66928	52098	14830	24.16688	18.81195	5.35493	47149	6568	1971	0	0	z	z	290	14	3	1618	9768	67381	3737	3757	8789	528	16811	84192	z	6159	z	160
202425	Autumn and spring term	National	E92000001	England						State-funded primary	SEN primary need	Other difficulty/disability	17967	4630047	368882	283510	85372	7.96713	6.12326	1.84387	4227	23.52647	309	1.71982	1062888	229243	166786	62457	21.56794	15.69178	5.87616	202612	35112	2484	1	684	z	z	2879	434	94	17084	22128	283512	21533	12748	49102	2014	85397	368909	z	11838	z	164
202425	Autumn and spring term	National	E92000001	England						Total	FSM	FSM not eligible	5273922	1346460234	70478275	53092090	17386185	5.23434	3.94309	1.29125	628475	11.91665	57986	1.09949	152202099	32246567	21234928	11011639	21.18668	13.9518	7.23488	41133441	3826872	794599	32418	81818	z	z	1031140	164020	56394	1918045	4053347	53092094	4953303	1659113	10465220	308607	17386243	70478337	z	5296924	z	32054

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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, state-funded 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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