Week 30 2022

Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

This is the latest data

• Published: 26 July 2022
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• Produced by: Department for Education

A summary of attendance in education settings for the 2021/22 academic year, excluding out of term dates as data is not collected. The data covers England only. 

Primary data sources on infection, incidence, and COVID-19 cases overall are not shown in this publication but are available on the coronavirus in the UK dashboard (opens in a new tab), national COVID-19 surveillance reports (opens in a new tab) and coronavirus infection survey pilot statistics. (opens in a new tab)

This publication provides national and local authority level summary estimates from the Department for Education's daily education settings survey and local authority early years survey. Data files are available in the ‘Explore data and files’ section on this page for further details and analysis.

Pupil absence in schools in England: Autumn Term 2021/22 statistics were published on 26 May 2022 presenting absence data collected via the school census covering the pandemic. That release is derived from pupil level data from which further analysis, such as the amount of time missed, can be derived.

These statistics have been produced quickly in response to developing world events. In May 2020, the Office for Statistics Regulation, on behalf of the UK Statistics Authority, reviewed them (opens in a new tab) against several key aspects of the Code of Practice for Statistics and regarded them as consistent with the Code’s pillars of Trustworthiness, Quality and Value.

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Methodologies

• Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

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Headline facts and figures - 2022

Explore data and files used in this release

• View or create your own tables

  View tables that we have built for you, or create your own tables from open data using our table tool

• Data catalogue

  Browse and download open data files from this release in our data catalogue

• Data guidance

  Learn more about the data files used in this release using our online guidance

• Download all data (ZIP)

  Download all data available in this release as a compressed ZIP file

Additional supporting files

All supporting files from this release are listed for individual download below:

• Education Settings Survey questions since 1 September 2020 (xlsx, 65 Kb)

  Education Settings Survey questions since 1 September 2020

• Variable additions and removals log (xlsx, 39 Kb)

  Variable additions and removals log

• Weekly attendance in state-funded schools by region, from 10 September 2020 to 16 December 2020 (excluding half term dates) (xlsx, 15 Kb)

  Weekly attendance in state-funded schools by region, from 10 September 2020 to 16 December 2020 (excluding half term dates)

Background

COVID-19 presents a low risk of serious illness to most children and most fully vaccinated adults. Since 1 April, testing is no longer expected in nearly all education, childcare, and children’s social care settings. 

Since 1 April, adults with symptoms of a respiratory infection (opens in a new tab), including COVID-19, and a high temperature or who feel unwell, are advised to try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people, until they feel well enough to resume normal activities and they no longer have a high temperature - if they had one. 

Children and young people who are under 18 years old with mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, who are otherwise well, should continue to attend their setting. If they are unwell and have a high temperature then they should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can. They can go back to their setting when they no longer have a high temperature, and they are well enough to attend. 

Data coverage

From 7 March, the education setting survey has changed from daily to weekly. Data will be collected every Thursday and published on a fortnightly basis.

This data release includes data from the education settings survey from 23 March 2020 to 4 March 2022 and weekly on Thursdays from 7 March 2022 to 21 July 2022 (excluding school holidays).

From 21 April 2022, attendance figures for state-funded secondary schools, state-funded special schools and state-funded alternative provision have been adjusted to exclude year 11-13 pupils who are not in attendance because they are off-site for study leave, visits to education providers or other arranged activities out of school.

Attendance numbers are published for vulnerable children and pupils eligible for FSM but attendance as a proportion of total is omitted, except for state-funded primary schools who are unaffected by the adjustment. Data for state-funded primary schools will be published as before.

There is no fixed ‘end of term’ date for FE colleges and the academic year varies from institution to institution. Most FE colleges cease delivery of the study programme between 24 June to 8 July 2022. As such, we have removed attendance information for FE colleges due to low levels of data. We have also taken this approach for independent schools for similar reasons.

Open status in education settings

Based on the 2,700 (13%) state-funded schools that responded to the Education settings survey on 21 Jul:

• Over 99.9% of state-funded schools were open on 21 Jul.
• For the state-funded school types, primary, secondary, special and alternative provision, the educational setting open rate was over 99.9% on 21 Jul.

Further education colleges and special post-16 institutions are asked to provide data for the previous day; therefore, the data is lagged by one day and our reporting focuses on Wednesdays rather than Thursdays.

Around less than 100 (19%) special post-16 institutions responded to the Education settings survey. 

Of these, all special post 16 institutions [1] were open on 20 Jul.

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[1] There are only a small number of students at special post 16 settings therefore the data is expected to be variable and sensitive to changes.

Attendance in state-funded schools

Absence in state-funded schools

From 7 April, data collection on COVID absence reasons for pupils has been paused.

Pupil attendance in state-funded schools

The  response rate on 21 July was 13%, lower than the typical 27-36% seen over the last 2 months and around 70 - 87% in the peak pandemic period (September 2020 - April 2021). The low response rate is likely due to the approaching end of term. While analysis has shown no systematic bias in response patterns across areas and phases, the estimates are subject to greater levels of uncertainty, and care should be taken when interpreting them.

• On site attendance in all state-funded schools was adjusted to exclude year 11-13 pupils who are not in attendance because they are off-site for approved purposes was 80.8% on 21 Jul, down from 86.9% on 7 Jul.
• The overall absence rate in state-funded primary, secondary, and special schools in England in the 2018/19 academic year was 4.7%. However, there are differences in the way this figure (4.7%) is calculated, and attendance estimates are calculated which affect comparability, particularly during the summer term [2].

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[2] 2018/19 overall absence rates include pupils aged 5-15 in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools. Our attendance estimates include 4-year olds in reception and pupils over the age of 15 in state-funded schools. Both of these groups of pupils have higher than average absence rates. Pupils on roll in alternative provision, who have a higher than average absence rate, are included in our attendance estimates, but excluded from the 2018/19 overall absence rates.

Attendance rates are not comparable with previous years as there are no COVID restrictions in place this summer term. In summer term 2020, schools were closed to many pupils as part of the national lockdown. In summer term 2021, different national rules were in place including the isolation of close contacts.

Vulnerable children in state-funded primary schools

The  response rate on 21 July was 13%, lower than the typical 27-36% seen over the last 2 months and around 70 - 87% in the peak pandemic period (September 2020 - April 2021). The low response rate is likely due to the approaching end of term. While analysis has shown no systematic bias in response patterns across areas and phases, the estimates are subject to greater levels of uncertainty, and care should be taken when interpreting them.

Attendance numbers are published for vulnerable children and pupils eligible for FSM but attendance as a proportion of total is omitted, except for state-funded primary schools who are unaffected by the adjustment.

• Approximately 89% of all pupils with an EHCP on roll in state-funded primary schools were in attendance on 21 Jul, same on 7 Jul.
• Approximately 88% of all pupils with a social worker on roll in all state-funded primary schools were in attendance on 21 Jul, down from 89% on 7 Jul. Pupils with a social worker are considered ‘children in need’. Our analysis after adjusting for non-response suggests that schools may be under-reporting the number of children with a social worker when compared to the most recently published children in need statistics. Therefore, these estimates only account for pupils with a social worker that are identified by schools.

Pupils eligible for free school meals (FSM) in state-funded primary schools

Recently published data shows that the number of pupils eligible for FSM has increased from 1.74 million (20.8% of all pupils) in January 2021 to 1.90 million (22.5% of all pupils) in January 2022.

• Approximately 89% of all pupils eligible for FSM on roll in state-funded primary schools were in attendance on 21 Jul, down from 90% 7 Jul.

 

Attendance by type of education setting

Pupil on site attendance

The  response rate on 21 July was 13%, lower than the typical 27-36% seen over the last 2 months and around 70 - 87% in the peak pandemic period (September 2020 - April 2021). The low response rate is likely due to the approaching end of term. While analysis has shown no systematic bias in response patterns across areas and phases, the estimates are subject to greater levels of uncertainty, and care should be taken when interpreting them.

• Attendance in state-funded primary schools was 84.4% on 21 Jul, down from 90.9% on 7 Jul.
• Attendance adjusted to exclude year 11-13 pupils who are not in attendance because they are off-site for approved purposes in state-funded secondary schools was 75.5% on 21 Jul, down from 81.2% on 7 Jul.
• Attendance adjusted to exclude year 11-13 pupils who are not in attendance because they are off-site for approved purposes in state-funded special schools was 82.0% on 21 Jul, down from 84.6% on 7 Jul. Attendance at special schools is typically lower than at mainstream settings.
• Attendance adjusted to exclude year 11-13 pupils who are not in attendance because they are off-site for approved purposes in state-funded alternative provision was 50.6% on 21 Jul, down from 52.2% on 7 Jul.

Workforce absence in state-funded schools

From 7 March, collection on absence reasons for workforce staff has been paused.

The  response rate on 21 July was 13%, lower than the typical 27-36% seen over the last 2 months and around 70 - 87% in the peak pandemic period (September 2020 - April 2021). The low response rate is likely due to the approaching end of term. While analysis has shown no systematic bias in response patterns across areas and phases, the estimates are subject to greater levels of uncertainty, and care should be taken when interpreting them.

Teachers and school leaders 

We estimate that 5.5% (27,000) of teachers and school leaders were absent for any reason from open schools on 21 Jul, down from 8.0% (42,000) on 7 Jul.

Teaching assistants and other staff

We estimate that 5.1% (34,000) of teaching assistants and other staff were absent for any reason from open schools on 21 Jul, down from 6.8% (49,000) on 7 Jul.

Workforce absence by type of education setting

Workforce absence by state-funded school type

The  response rate on 21 July was 13%, lower than the typical 27-36% seen over the last 2 months and around 70 - 87% in the peak pandemic period (September 2020 - April 2021). The low response rate is likely due to the approaching end of term. While analysis has shown no systematic bias in response patterns across areas and phases, the estimates are subject to greater levels of uncertainty, and care should be taken when interpreting them.

Teachers and school leaders 

• 4.6% of teachers and school leaders absent for any reason in state-funded primary schools on 21 Jul, down from 6.8% on 7 Jul.
• 6.4% of teachers and school leaders absent for any reason in state-funded secondary schools on 21 Jul, down from 9.1% 7 Jul.
• 6.1% of teachers and school leaders absent for any reason in state-funded special schools on 21 Jul, down from 8.9% on 7 Jul.
• 6.4% of teachers and school leaders absent for any reason in state-funded alternative provision on 21 Jul, down from 8.5% on 7 Jul.

Teaching assistants and other staff

• 4.7% of teaching assistants and other staff absent for any reason in state-funded primary schools on 21 Jul, down from 6.5% on 7 Jul.
• 4,7% of teaching assistants and other staff absent for any reason in state-funded secondary schools on 21 Jul, down from 6.1% on 7 Jul.
• 7.6% of teaching assistants and other staff absent for any reason in state-funded special schools on 21 Jul, down from 10.5% on 7 Jul.
• 9.1% of teaching assistants and other staff absent for any reason in state-funded alternative provision on 21 Jul, up from 8.2% on 7 Jul.

Workforce absence in special post-16 settings

Teachers and school leaders 

• 4.5% of teachers and school leaders absent for any reason in special post-16 institutions on 20 Jul, down from 9.4% on 6 Jul.

Teaching assistants and other staff

• 13.8% of teaching assistants and other staff absent in special post-16 institutions on 20 Jul, up from 10.7% on 6 Jul.

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Methodology

Find out how and why we collect, process and publish these statistics.

• Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic

Official statistics

These are Official Statistics and have been produced in line with the Code of Practice for Official Statistics.

This can be broadly interpreted to mean that these statistics are:

• managed impartially and objectively in the public interest
• meet identified user needs
• produced according to sound methods
• well explained and readily accessible

Find out more about the standards we follow to produce these statistics through our Standards for official statistics published by DfE guidance.

Our statistical practice is regulated by the Office for Statistics Regulation (OSR).

OSR sets the standards of trustworthiness, quality and value in the Code of Practice for Statistics that all producers of official statistics should adhere to.

You are welcome to contact us directly with any comments about how we meet these standards. Alternatively, you can contact OSR by emailing regulation@statistics.gov.uk or via the OSR website.

Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Attendance in education and early years settings during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic statistics and data:

COVID Attendance Statistics

Email: Datarequests.COVID@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Raffaele Sasso

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