1. Further information on absence data can be found in the Pupil absence statistics: methodology document.
2. Further information on KS2 attainment data can be found in the Attainment in primary schools in England (opens in a new tab) quality and methodology information document.
3. Further information on KS4 attainment data can be found in the Key stage 4 performance (opens in a new tab) quality and methodology information document.
4. The overall absence rates in this release are based on all of the absences (authorised and unauthorised) pupils have accrued across their full key stage:
For KS4 pupils, to account for high levels of study leave and other authorised absence at the end of KS4, absence data in the 6th half term of pupils’ final KS4 year has not been included.
5. All maintained schools are required to provide two possible sessions per day, morning and afternoon, to all pupils and schools must meet for at least 380 sessions (or 190 days) during any school year to educate their pupils. Pupils that do not have a full set of possible sessions across the whole of KS2 or KS4 have been removed from the analysis. This ensured that pupils with high values of possible sessions (which were likely to be incorrect) or those with extremely low numbers of possible sessions (for whom we would not be able to determine a full picture of the link between their absence and attainment) were removed and did not distort the findings. These pupils have been identified by looking at each pupil’s possible sessions and comparing it to the mode (most common) number of possible sessions across all pupils at the end of each key stage in each year. Only pupils with possible sessions within 10 per cent either side of the mode value for each year have been included. Meaning that for a pupil to be included their total number of possible sessions each year must conform to the following:
Mode possible sessions × 0.9 ≤ Possible sessions ≤ Mode possible sessions × 1.1
6. Tables 3 and 7 (Figures 3 and 7) show absence levels grouped by pupil percentiles, designed so a similar number of pupils are present in each bracket. Pupils were placed in ascending order of overall absence rates across KS2/KS4 and then grouped into five per cent bands (i.e. a similar numbers of pupils are included in each band). For example, the 0 - <5 per cent band includes the five per cent of pupils with the lowest overall absence rates across KS2/KS4 and the 95- 100 per cent bracket contains the five per cent of pupils with the highest overall absence rates across KS2/KS4.
7. Absence information is collected termly through the School Census. The School Census (opens in a new tab) guidance includes information on the collection of pupil absence data. A technical specification (opens in a new tab) is also available, which gives detailed explanations of what data are collected and what validation processes are carried out.
8. Attainment data for all pupils at the end of key stage 4 is collected from the awarding bodies by the Department’s contractor. Further information can be found in the Key stage 4 performance (opens in a new tab) quality and methodology information document.
9. Attainment data for all pupils at the end of KS2 is collected by the Standards and Testing Agency (STA), an executive agency of the Department. Further information can be found in the Attainment in primary schools in England (opens in a new tab) quality and methodology information document.
10. The figures presented in this report relate to attainment data from the 2018/19 academic year for pupils at the end of KS2 and KS4. However, absence data from across all years relevant to each key stage has been used. Specifically, for pupils at end of KS2 in 2018/19, absence data from 2015/16 to 2018/19 has been used to calculate overall absence rates and, for pupils at the end of KS4 in 2018/19, absence data for 2017/18 and 2018/19 has been used to calculate overall absence rates.
11. This release includes pupils in state-funded mainstream schools including academies, free schools and city technology colleges. Pupils in state-funded special schools, independent schools, independent special schools, non-maintained special schools, hospital schools and alternative provision (including academy and free school alternative provision and pupil referral units) are excluded. Children not registered at a school are not included.
12. As described in the calculation of derived variables section, pupils that do not have a full set of possible sessions across the whole of KS2 or KS4 have been removed from the analysis. Our analysis found that these excluded pupils had lower attainment on average at KS2 and KS4.
If you have a specific enquiry about The link between absence and attainment at KS2 and KS4 statistics and data:
If you have a media enquiry:
Telephone: 020 7783 8300
If you have a general enquiry about the Department for Education (DfE) or education:
Telephone: 037 0000 2288
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