Week 48 2021

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

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Introduction

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 statistics were published on 27 May 2021 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.


Headline facts and figures - 2021

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Background

Attendance became mandatory for all pupils from 8 March 2021. Step 4 in the roadmap to COVID-19 recovery (opens in a new tab) marked a new phase in the government’s response to the pandemic. The usual rules and duties (opens in a new tab) around school attendance have therefore been reinstated. 

Individuals are now not required to self-isolate if they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19, and any of the following apply:

  • they are fully vaccinated
  • they are below the age of 18 years and 6 months
  • they have taken part in or are currently part of an approved COVID-19 vaccine trial
  • they are not able to get vaccinated for medical reasons

From 19 July 2021 close contacts will now be identified via NHS Test and Trace and education settings will no longer be expected to undertake contact tracing. In this setting, contacts will only be traced by NHS Test and Trace where the positive case and/or their parent specifically identifies the individual as being a close contact. This is likely to be a small number of individuals who would be most at risk of contracting COVID-19 due to the nature of the close contact. Individuals informed they have been in close contact with a positive case will be advised to take a  Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test (opens in a new tab)

To account for increased contact over the summer holidays, official guidance stated that all secondary school pupils should receive 2 on-site lateral flow device tests, 3 to 5 days apart, on their return in the autumn term. To manage this, settings were given the flexibility to commence testing from 3 working days before the start of term and stagger the return of pupils across the first week. 

Staff and secondary school pupils should continue to test twice weekly at home, with lateral flow device (LFD) test kits, 3 to 4 days apart. Testing remains voluntary but is strongly encouraged.

There is no need for primary age pupils (those in year 6 and below) to test.

Staff and pupils with a positive Lateral Flow Device (LFD) test result  should self-isolate in line with the stay at home guidance for households with possible or confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) infection (opens in a new tab).

Pupils not receiving face-to-face education because they are complying with government guidance or legislation around coronavirus (COVID-19) should receive remote education.

Data coverage

This data release includes data from the education settings survey from 23 March 2020 to 25 November 2021 (excluding school holidays) and early years settings from 16 April 2020 to 11 November 2021.

Open status in education settings

Based on the 11,700 (54%) state-funded schools that responded to the Education settings survey on 25 Nov:

  • 99.9% of state-funded schools were open on 25 Nov.
  • For the state-funded school types, primary, secondary, special, and alternative provision, the educational setting open rate was at least 99.7% on 25 Nov.

Further education colleges 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 200 (79%) further education colleges and 100 (56%) special post-16 institutions responded to the Education settings survey. 

Of these, all further education colleges and special post 16 institutions [1] were open on 24 Nov.

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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

Department for Education guidance states that school attendance became mandatory once again for all pupils from 8 March 2021. Pupils with COVID-19 symptoms should not attend school. 

From 19 July 2021 close contacts will now be identified via NHS Test and Trace. However, the vast majority of pupils in state-funded schools are under 18 years and 6 months, and therefore not required to self-isolate if they live in the same household as someone with COVID-19, or are a close contact of someone with COVID-19.

Absence in state-funded schools

We estimate 2.6% (208,000) of all pupils on roll in state-funded schools did not attend school for COVID-19 related reasons on 25 Nov, up from 1.6% (130,000) on 11 Nov.

This includes:

  • 79,000 pupils with a suspected case of coronavirus, 1.0% of pupils on roll in open schools, up from 0.6% on 11 Nov when there were 50,000 suspected cases
  • 106,000 pupils with a confirmed case of coronavirus, 1.3% of pupils on roll in open schools, up from 0.8% on 11 Nov when there were 67,000 confirmed cases
  • 10,000 pupils absent from open settings due to attendance restrictions being in place to manage an outbreak, 0.1% of pupils on roll in open schools, up from less than 0.1% on 11 Nov when there were 4,000 attendance restrictions cases.
  • 12,000 pupils absent from open settings due to isolation for other reasons, 0.2% of pupils on roll in open schools, up from 0.1% on 11 Nov when there were 9,000 cases in isolation for other reasons.
  • 1,000 pupils were absent, as a result of school closures due to COVID-related reasons, less than 0.1% of pupils on roll in open schools, same on 11 Nov when there were fewer than 500 school closure cases.

Pupil attendance in state-funded schools

  • On site attendance in state-funded schools was 89.3% on 25 Nov, down from 91.5% on 11 Nov.
  • 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.

Vulnerable children in state-funded schools

Attendance of pupils with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), and pupils with a social worker is typically lower than for other pupils [3].

  • Approximately 84% of all pupils with an EHCP on roll in state-funded schools were in attendance on 25 Nov, down from 86% on 11 Nov.
  • Approximately 83% of all pupils with a social worker on roll in all state-funded schools were in attendance on 25 Nov, down from 85% on 11 Nov. 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 [4]. 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 schools

Recently published data shows that the number of pupils eligible for FSM has increased from 1.44 million (17.3% of all pupils) in January 2020 to 1.74 million (20.8% of all pupils) in January 2021.

Attendance of pupils eligible for FSM is typically lower than for other pupils [5].

  • Approximately 87% of all pupils eligible for FSM on roll in state-funded schools were in attendance on 25 Nov, down from 90% on 11 Nov.

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[3] The attendance of pupils with EHCPs and children in need is typically lower than for other pupils. In the 2018/19 academic year, the overall absence rate was 8.7% for pupils with a statement of SEN or an EHCP and 11.4% for children in need see Pupil absence in schools statistics and characteristics of children in need statistics  (opens in a new tab) publication for more information. There are some differences in the calculation of these figures and our estimates that affect comparability. See our methodology for more details.  

[4] Statistics: children in need and child protection  (opens in a new tab)Schools report on the form how many children with a social worker (SW) they have on roll. Our analysis suggests that the total number of children with a SW differs by at least 30% compared to published figures for children with a social worker.

[5] Data from the 2018/19 academic year calculates the typical absence rate of FSM pupils to be 7.5% when compared to 4.7% for all pupils. This data is published here.

Attendance by type of education setting

Pupil on site attendance

Rates of pupil absence due to confirmed cases and isolation may be impacted by levels of testing.

  • Attendance in state-funded primary schools was 91.1% on 25 Nov, down from 93.6% on 11 Nov.
  • Attendance in state-funded secondary schools was 87.5% on 25 Nov, down from 89.5% on 11 Nov.
  • Attendance in state-funded special schools was 81.4% on 25 Nov, down from 84.8% on 11 Nov. Attendance at special schools is typically lower than at mainstream settings.
  • Attendance in state-funded alternative provision was 58.3% on 25 Nov, down from 60.9% on 11 Nov.

Attendance of vulnerable children and pupils eligible for free school meals

  • In primary schools, approximately 89% of pupils with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), 89% of pupils with a social worker and 90% of pupils eligible for free school meals were in attendance on 25 Nov.  Attendance rates for these pupils are lower than on 11 Nov when 91% of pupils with an EHCP, 92% of pupils with a social worker and 93% of pupils eligible for free school meals were in attendance. 
  • In secondary schools, approximately 82% of pupils with an EHCP, 77% of pupils with a social worker and 84% of pupils eligible for free school meals were in attendance on 25 Nov. Attendance rates for these pupils are lower than on 11 Nov when 84% of pupils with an EHCP, 78% of pupils with a social worker and 87% of pupils eligible for free school meals were in attendance.

Attendance in further education colleges 

Attendance figures for colleges include adult learners and part-time learners, as well as 16-19 year olds on full study programmes. Typically, attendance in further education colleges varies each day, term and academic year due to part-time learners and levels of enrolments.

  • We estimate 442,000 students were attending colleges on site on 24 Nov, same on 10 Nov. Note that this uses 'expected to attend' figures from the previous academic years for further education colleges that did not respond. For further detail see methodology.
  • On site attendance in colleges in the autumn term of 2020 typically ranged between 250,000 and 400,000 students each day. Due to quality issues with some data collected in the autumn term, attendance estimates in colleges are not available for each day in the autumn term.

Workforce absence in state-funded schools

For workforce, COVID-19 related absence includes staff with a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus and those required to isolate by NHS Test and Trace due to contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, where they are not exempt from self-isolation under the changes of 16th August 2021.

Rates of confirmed cases and isolation among workforce may be impacted by levels of testing. Staff should continue to test twice weekly at home, with lateral flow device (LFD) test kits, 3 to 4 days apart, Testing remains voluntary but is strongly encouraged.

Teachers and school leaders 

We estimate 2.0% of teachers and school leaders were absent from open schools due to COVID-19 related reasons on 25 Nov, up from 1.4% on 11 Nov, this includes: 

  • 0.3% of teachers and school leaders absent from open schools with a suspected case of coronavirus on 
    25 Nov, same on 11 Nov.
  • 1.5% of teachers and school leaders absent from open schools with a confirmed case of coronavirus on 
    25 Nov, up from 1.1% on 11 Nov.
  •  0.1% of teachers and school leaders required to isolate by NHS Test and Trace due to contact with a 
    confirmed case of COVID-19 within setting on 25 Nov, up from on less than 0.1% 11 Nov.
  • less than 0.1% of teachers and school leaders required to isolate by NHS Test and Trace due to contact with a 
    confirmed case of COVID-19 outside education settings on 25 Nov, same on 11 Nov.

There were 5.5% of teachers and school leaders absent from open schools for 'other' reasons on 25 Nov, up
from 4.8% on 11 Nov.

Teaching assistants and other staff 

We estimate 1.9% of teaching assistants and other staff were absent from open schools due to COVID-19 related 
reasons on 25 Nov, up from 1.4% on 11 Nov. This includes: 

  • 0.4% of teaching assistants and other staff absent from open schools with a suspected case of 
    coronavirus on 25 Nov, up from 0.3% on 11 Nov..
  • 1.4% of teaching assistants and other staff absent from open schools with a confirmed case of 
    coronavirus on 25 Nov, up from 1.0% on 11 Nov.
  • 0.1% teaching assistants and other staff required to isolate by NHS Test and Trace due to contact with a 
    confirmed case of COVID-19 within setting on 25 Nov, same on 11 Nov.
  • 0.1% of teaching assistants and other staff required to isolate by NHS Test and Trace due to contact with 
    a confirmed case of COVID-19 outside education settings on 25 Nov, same on 11 Nov.

There were 5.7% of teaching assistants and other staff absent from open schools for 'other' reasons on 25 Nov, up from 5.0% on 11 Nov.

Footnotes

  1. All national level figures are adjusted for non-response. Regional and local authority level figures are based on responding schools only. See accompanying document for full methodology.
  2. Absence rates for teaching assistants and other staff are likely to be less robust as more work part-time. There are likely to be inconsistencies in how schools treat part time staff in their reported data, for example some may update their on roll numbers daily to account for part-time staff ‘expected’ to be on site and others may not.
  3. Workforce absences are not known in closed schools. This means these figures are likely to be under-estimates of the numbers of workforce with confirmed or suspected cases and self-isolating, particularly when the proportion of schools closed for COVID-19 related reasons is higher.
  4. The purpose of this data collection is primarily to understand attendance and teacher availability. This data is reported directly by schools via DfE's daily education settings survey. It is not the primary source of data on infection, incidence and COVID-19 cases overall.
  5. COVID-19 related reasons include a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus and those required to isolate by NHS Test and Trace due to contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, where they are not exempt from self-isolation under the changes of 16th August 2021.

Workforce absence by type of education setting

Workforce absence due to COVID-19 reasons by state-funded school type

Teachers and school leaders 

  • 2.3% of teachers and school leaders absent due to COVID-19 reasons in state-funded primary schools on 25 Nov, up from 1.7% on 11 Nov.
  • 1.6% of teachers and school leaders absent due to COVID-19 reasons in state-funded secondary schools on 25 Nov, up from 1.2% on 11 Nov.
  • 2.2% of teachers and school leaders absent due to COVID-19 reasons in state-funded special schools on 25 Nov, up from 1.8% on 11 Nov.
  • 1.4% of teachers and school leaders absent due to COVID-19 reasons in state-funded alternative provision on 25 Nov, up from 1.3% on 11 Nov.

Teaching assistants and other staff

  • 2.2% of teaching assistants and other staff absent due to COVID-19 reasons in state-funded primary schools on 25 Nov, up from 1.6% on 11 Nov.
  • 1.2% of teaching assistants and other staff absent due to COVID-19 reasons in state-funded secondary schools on 25 Nov, up from 0.9% on 11 Nov.
  • 2.2% of teaching assistants and other staff absent due to COVID-19 reasons in state-funded special schools on 25 Nov, up from 1.7% on 11 Nov.
  • 1.7% of teaching assistants and other staff absent due to COVID-19 reasons in state-funded alternative provision on 25 Nov, up from 1.4% on 11 Nov.

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. 

Workforce absence due to COVID-19 reasons in further education and special post-16 settings

Teachers and school leaders 

  • 1.5% of teachers and school leaders absent due to COVID-19 reasons in further education colleges on 24 Nov, up from 1.0% on 10 Nov.
  • 1.5% of teachers and school leaders absent due to COVID-19 reasons in special post-16 institutions on 24 Nov, up from 1.3% on 10 Nov.

Teaching assistants and other staff

  • 1.1% of teaching assistants and other staff were absent due to COVID-19 reasons in further education colleges on 24 Nov, up from 0.8% on 10 Nov.
  • 1.8% of teaching assistants and other staff absent due to COVID-19 reasons in special post-16 institutions on 24 Nov, up from 1.7% on 10 Nov.

Footnotes

  1. All national level figures are adjusted for non-response. Regional and local authority level figures are based on responding schools only. See accompanying document for full methodology.
  2. Absence rates for teaching assistants and other staff are likely to be less robust as more work part-time. There are likely to be inconsistencies in how schools treat part time staff in their reported data, for example some may update their on roll numbers daily to account for part-time staff ‘expected’ to be on site and others may not.
  3. Workforce absences are not known in closed schools. This means these figures are likely to be under-estimates of the numbers of workforce with confirmed or suspected cases and self-isolating, particularly when the proportion of schools closed for COVID-19 related reasons is higher.
  4. The purpose of this data collection is primarily to understand attendance and teacher availability. This data is reported directly by schools via DfE's daily education settings survey. It is not the primary source of data on infection, incidence and COVID-19 cases overall.
  5. COVID-19 related reasons include a confirmed or suspected case of coronavirus and those required to isolate by NHS Test and Trace due to contact with a confirmed case of COVID-19, where they are not exempt from self-isolation under the changes of 16th August 2021.
  6. Figures for independent schools are unlikely to be representative. We looked at a sample of non-responding school websites across different phases to assess whether they were open to children of key workers and vulnerable children. This was to enable us to assess whether non-responding schools were as likely to be open as the responding schools. For independent schools, we found evidence that non-responding schools were more likely to be closed than responding schools. Open rates and attendance rates for independent schools are likely to be lower than reported here.
  7. There are only a small number of special post 16 settings therefore the data is expected to be variable and sensitive to changes in one or more settings.

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Methodology

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

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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