Academic year 2023/24

Pupil absence in schools in England

Pupil absence, including overall, authorised and unauthorised absence and persistent absence by reason and pupil characteristics for the full academic year.

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• Produced by: Department for Education
• Published: 20 March 2025
• Last updated: 26 October 2025

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  Data sets present comprehensive open data from which users can create their own tables using the EES table tool or download a zipped CSV file.

• Data guidance

  Description of the data sets included in this release, including information on data sources, coverage, quality and any data conventions used.

• Data catalogue

  Alternatively use our data catalogue to search and filter for specific data sets from this release or our entire library, providing full data summaries, data previews and access to API data sets.

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Data sets: download or create tables

Data sets present comprehensive open data from which users can create their own tables using the EES table tool or download a zipped CSV file.

19 data sets available for download

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• Absence by geographic level

  Local authority, National, Regional

  Absence information for all enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools including information on overall absence, persistent absence and reason for absence for pupils aged 5-15.

  • Number of rows: 10,920
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Authorised absence rate (persistent absentees only)
    • Authorised holiday rate
  • Filters:
    • School type
  • Time period: 2006/07 to 2023/24

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• Absence by school level

  School

  School level absence information for all enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools including information on overall absence, persistent absence and reason for absence for pupils aged 5-15.

  • Number of rows: 212,335
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Authorised absence rate (persistent absentees only)
    • Authorised holiday rate
  • Filters:
    • School type
  • Time period: 2013/14 to 2023/24

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• Enrolments with one or more sessions of absence

  Local authority, National, Regional

  The number of enrolments with one or more session of absence, including by reason for absence.

  • Number of rows: 7,073
  • Indicators:
    • Number enrolments with 1+ absence session due to agreed extended family holiday
    • Number enrolments with 1+ absence session due to medical or dental appointments
    • Number enrolments with 1+ absence session due to other authorised circumstances
  • Filters:
    • School type
  • Time period: 2012/13 to 2023/24

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• Enrolments with one or more sessions of absence - school level

  School

  The number of enrolments with one or more session of absence, including by reason for absence, at school level.

  • Number of rows: 212,335
  • Indicators:
    • Number enrolments with 1+ absence session due to agreed extended family holiday
    • Number enrolments with 1+ absence session due to medical or dental appointments
    • Number enrolments with 1+ absence session due to other authorised circumstances
  • Filters:
    • School type
  • Time period: 2013/14 to 2023/24

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• Absence as a percentage of possible sessions by band

  National

  The number of pupil enrolments by overall, authorised and unauthorised absence percentage point bands.

  • Number of rows: 4,080
  • Indicators:
    • Number of pupil enrolments in that per cent band for unauthorised absence
    • Number of pupil enrolments in that per cent band for COVID non-attendance
    • Number of pupil enrolments in that per cent band for authorised absence
  • Filters:
    • Absence percentage band
    • School type
  • Time period: 2013/14 to 2023/24

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• Absence for four year olds

  Local authority, National, Regional

  Overall absence for all enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools for pupils aged 4.

  • Number of rows: 6,264
  • Indicators:
    • Number of overall absence sessions
    • Number of pupil enrolments
    • Number of schools
  • Filters:
    • School type
  • Time period: 2012/13 to 2023/24

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• Absence for four year olds - school level

  School

  School level overall absence for all enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools for pupils aged 4.

  • Number of rows: 164,154
  • Indicators:
    • Number of overall absence sessions
    • Number of pupil enrolments
    • Number of schools
  • Filters:
    • School type
  • Time period: 2013/14 to 2023/24

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• Absence in state-funded alternative provision

  Local authority, National, Regional

  Absence information for full academic years for all enrolments in state-funded alternative provision (including pupil referral units) with information on overall absence, persistent absence and reason for absence for pupils aged 5-15.

  • Number of rows: 1,517
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Number of authorised absence sessions
    • Number of authorised holiday sessions
  • Time period: 2013/14 to 2023/24

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• Absence in state-funded alternative provision - school level

  School

  School level absence information for full academic years for all enrolments in state-funded alternative provision (including pupil referral units) with information on overall absence, persistent absence and reason for absence for pupils aged 5-15.

  • Number of rows: 3,458
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Number of authorised absence sessions
    • Number of authorised holiday sessions
  • Time period: 2013/14 to 2023/24

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• Absence by pupil characteristics

  Local authority, National, Regional

  Absence information for the full academic year, by pupil characteristics including SEN, FSM, language, year group, gender and ethnicity for England.

  • Number of rows: 257,009
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Authorised absence rate exact
    • Authorised holiday rate
  • Filters:
    • Characteristic
    • School type
  • Time period: 2017/18 to 2023/24

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• Absence by geographic level - termly

  Local authority, National, Regional

  Termly absence information for all enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools including information on overall absence, persistent absence and reason for absence for pupils aged 5-15.

  • Number of rows: 9,645
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Authorised holiday rate
    • Authorised other rate
  • Filters:
    • School type
  • Time period: 2018/19 Autumn term to 2023/24 Summer term

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• Absence for pupils identified as young carers

  National

  Overall absence for all enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools for pupils declared as young carers

  • Number of rows: 24
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Number of authorised absence sessions
    • Number of authorised holiday sessions
  • Filters:
    • School type
    • Young Carer
  • Time period: 2022/23 to 2023/24

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• Absence for pupils with post looked after arrangements (PLAA)

  National

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

  • Number of rows: 100
  • 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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• Absence by pupil characteristics - termly

  National

  Absence information at national level for the full academic year, by each term, by pupil characteristics including SEN, FSM, language, year group, gender and ethnicity for England.

  • Number of rows: 3,342
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Authorised absence rate exact
    • Number of authorised absence sessions
  • Filters:
    • Characteristic
    • School type
  • Time period: 2018/19 Autumn term to 2023/24 Summer term

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• Absence by pupil residency - IDACI and urban or rurality

  Local authority, Local authority district, National, Regional

  Absence information by the pupil’s residence including the level of deprivation and rurality.

  • Number of rows: 71,389
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Number of authorised absence sessions
    • Number of overall absence sessions
  • Filters:
    • IDACI band of pupil residence
    • IDACI/Rurality
    • Rurality band of pupil residence
  • Time period: 2016/17 to 2023/24

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• absence by school location - IDACI and urban or rurality

  Local authority, Local authority district, National, Regional

  Absence information by the school location including the level of depravation and rurality. Includes where a school location may differ from administrative authority responsible for the school

  • Number of rows: 41,800
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Number of authorised absence sessions
    • Number of overall absence sessions
  • Filters:
    • IDACI band of school location
    • Rurality band of school location
    • School type
  • Time period: 2018/19 to 2023/24

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• Absence by school location - IDACI and urban or rurality - school level

  School

  Absence information by the school location including the level of depravation and rurality. Includes where a school location may differ from administrative authority responsible for the school. Includes school level data

  • Number of rows: 111,727
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Number of authorised absence sessions
    • Number of overall absence sessions
  • Filters:
    • IDACI band of school location
    • Local authority responsible for school
    • Rurality band of school location
  • Time period: 2018/19 to 2023/24

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• Absence by characteristics (FSM) and local authority district

  Local authority district

  Absence information by local authority district. Includes FSM eligible and FSM6 eligible breakdowns.

  • Number of rows: 41,824
  • Indicators:
    • Authorised absence rate
    • Authorised absence rate exact
    • Number of authorised absence sessions
  • Filters:
    • Characteristic
    • School type
  • Time period: 2018/19 to 2023/24

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• Absence rate as a percentage of possible sessions by 5% bands with pupil characteristics

  Local authority, National, Regional

  The number of pupil enrolments by overall absence 5 percentage point bands in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools, by pupil characteristics including SEN, FSM, year group and sex.

  • Number of rows: 244,452
  • Indicators:
    • Number of all pupil enrolments that fall into the 0.00 - 4.99 percent band for overall absence
    • Number of all pupil enrolments that fall into the 10.00 - 14.99 percent band for overall absence
    • Number of all pupil enrolments that fall into the 15.00 - 19.99 percent band for overall absence
  • Filters:
    • FSM Status
    • National Curriculum Year Group
    • SEN provision
  • Time period: 2016/17 to 2023/24

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Data guidance

Description of the data sets included in this release, including information on data sources, coverage, quality and any data conventions used.

Description

This document describes the data included in the ‘Pupil absence in schools in England’ accredited official statistics release’s underlying data files. This data is released under the terms of the Open Government License (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) (opens in new tab) and is intended to meet at least 3 stars for Open Data (opens in a new tab) (opens in a new tab) (opens in new tab). The methodology should be referenced alongside this data. It provides information on the data sources, their coverage and quality as well as explaining methodology used in producing the data.

Coverage

This release provides information on the levels of overall, authorised and unauthorised absence in:

• state-funded primary schools
• state-funded secondary schools
• special schools

It includes:

• reasons for absence
• absence by pupil characteristic
• rates of persistent and severe absence
• separate absence information for state-funded alternative provision (including pupil referral units, alternative provision academies and free schools)

The information is based on pupil level absence data collected via the school census.

File formats and conventions

Rounding and Suppression

This dataset has not had suppression applied. Rates are presented to one decimal place in the report but are unrounded in the underlying data files

Conventions

The following convention is used throughout the underlying data. 

‘x’  Not available.

‘z’  Not applicable

Data files

All data files associated with this releases are listed below with guidance on their content. To download any of these files, please visit our data catalogue.

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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Pupil absence in schools in England statistics and data:

Attendance and exclusions statistics team

Email: schools.statistics@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Attendance and exclusions statistics team

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If you have a media enquiry:

Telephone: 020 7783 8300

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