Absence rate is the total number of sessions missed due to absence for all pupils as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions for all pupils. One session is equal to half a day.
Overall absence decreased compared to the previous academic year
The overall absence rate decreased from 7.4% in 2022/23 to 7.1% in 2023/24 . Across school phases, overall absence between 2022/23 and 2023/24:
- decreased in primary schools from 5.9% to 5.5%
- decreased in secondary schools from 9.0% to 8.9%
- remained stable in special schools at 13.0%
Authorised absence decreased, while unauthorised absence increased
Compared to the previous academic year, authorised absence decreased from 5.0% to 4.7%. This was consistent across all school types, with authorised absence dropping from:
- 4.2% to 3.9% in primary schools
- 5.6% to 5.4% in secondary schools
- 9.9% to 9.7% in special schools
In comparison, unauthorised absence in secondary schools increased from 3.4% to 3.5%, and in special schools from 3.2% to 3.3%. However, the rate remained stable at 1.6% in primary schools.
The most common reason for absence was illness
Although illness was the most common reason for absence in 2023/24, it decreased to 3.5% from 3.7% in the previous academic year.
Unauthorised other was the next highest reason for absence at 1.7%, followed by unauthorised holiday and authorised other which remained the same as the previous year at 0.5%.
Overall absence increased across terms in all school types
The overall absence rate increased across terms in 2023/24; from 6.7% in autumn, increasing to 7.2% in spring and to 7.6% in summer. This was consistent across all school types, with secondary schools experiencing the largest term-on-term increases.
Unauthorised absence also generally increased across terms for all school types, with the exception of primary schools, where it was slightly higher in the autumn term compared to the spring term, but highest in the summer term.
Authorised absence was highest during the spring term for both primary and special schools, with rates of 4.3% and 10.1%, respectively. In contrast, secondary schools experienced the highest rate of authorised absence in the summer term at 5.6%.
Comparisons across years affected by the COVID-19 pandemic should be treated with caution. During 2020/21 and 2021/22, not attending in circumstances related to coronavirus (COVID-19), marked as code X, has not been counted as an absence, but has been included as a possible session in the calculation of absence rates. This has included where pupils were self-isolating, shielding, and when a class or bubble has been required to stay at home. From April 2022, in line with our transition to living with COVID-19, schools were no longer advised to record pupils who did not attend for reasons related to COVID-19 using a separate code (Code X).