Diving into absence statistics in UK schools and the impact they’re having, with Aileen Wallace.
With nearly two decades of teaching experience, I’ve seen many changes in the classroom, but the recent surge in pupil absences is one of the most dramatic. Post-pandemic, absences have soared. In my own classroom, I’ve had a range of excuses – from nail appointments to needing a day off after a big concert. Let’s look at some of the data and see how things today compare to the pre-COVID days.
[To be fully transparent, this is my first attempt at data analysis like this, so please bear with me. I used Brisk to help me summarise materials and pinpoint areas to focus on, and SchoolAI’s Research Assistant helped me with analysing data and refining my writing.]
The numbers
England
Let’s start with England. The numbers are pretty striking. In the 2022/23 school year, around 150,000 children were severely absent, meaning they missed at least half their lessons. This is a whopping 150% increase from the pre-pandemic figure of about 60,000 1. Back then, overall absence rates were around 5% 2. Now, we’re looking at about 7.4%. 3. From the same Parliamentary research, there is a marked increase in absences when you look at students who are entitled to free school meals. In the 2022/23 school year, 36.5% of pupils eligible for free school meals were off with persistent absences, compared to just 15.6% of those who weren’t eligible.
Scotland
Scotland isn’t doing much better. In 2023/24, 40.6% of secondary students were persistently absent. This is a jump from just over a decade ago (2012-2013), when it was around 26.7% 4. According to the data from the National 5 results, there seems to have been an impact on exam success as well. For instance, students sitting Maths dropped from 41,525 in 2019 to 36,600 in 2024, which could suggest challenges in student engagement or performance 5. This could, however, be correlation rather than causation.
Wales
Wales has redefined what counts as persistent absence. Now, if you miss 10% of school sessions, you’re on the list. This change shows that 37.1% of secondary students were persistently absent in 2023/24 – more than double the numbers seen before the pandemic 6. It also made it harder for me to compare figures, so please excuse a lack of analysis for Wales.
Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland faces its own set of challenges. Nearly 30% of pupils were classified with chronic or severe chronic absences in both 2021/22 and 2022/23. It’s important to note that Northern Ireland’s data on pupil absences is harder to compare due to missing figures and incomplete records from the government, which complicates understanding the full scale of the issue 7.
Beyond the numbers
The impact on students, however, goes far beyond numbers.
Academic success
Regular school attendance is crucial for academic success, and the data clearly shows a significant gap in achievement for those frequently absent. In England, only 11% of severely absent pupils managed to achieve grades 4 or above in GCSE English and Maths, compared to 68% of all pupils 2. This gap in performance can have long-term consequences, affecting future educational and career opportunities. From my own classroom experiences, I have seen a jump in the number of students dropping from National 5 to 4 not because of ability but because their high absence rate has made success in the final exam improbable. Added to this is if parents are facing difficulties parents getting their children to attend school, they may feel that this is the best they can achieve.
Inequalities
Missing school reduces face-to-face interactions with peers, which is vital for developing social skills and emotional resilience. Students who frequently miss school are at greater risk of becoming disconnected from learning. This can increase existing inequalities, particularly among students from socio-economically disadvantaged backgrounds or those with additional support needs 8.
Pupils from lower-income families, particularly those eligible for free school meals, are twice as likely to be persistently absent 3. Students with SENs also have higher absence rates, with those having an Education, Health and Care (EHC) plan showing an absence rate of 12.5% – considerably higher than their peers without SEN 2. Additionally, pupils from the most deprived areas have significantly lower attendance rates compared to those from the least deprived areas 4.
The long-term effects aren’t encouraging – lower grades, fewer qualifications and limited job prospects. Addressing these growing social divides requires collaboration between schools, authorities and communities.
Every missed day is a missed opportunity, and working together can help overcome the barriers students face. This path forward isn’t easy, but it’s essential for ensuring that every student has the chance to succeed.
References
- The Guardian, “Record numbers of pupils in England were absent for long periods last year, with one in 50 missing at least half of their lessons.” Source: The Guardian
- Department for Education Statistics. “Pupil absence in schools in England.” Source: Department for Education Statistics
- UK Parliament Commons Library, “Concerns about school attendance levels.” Source: UK Parliament Commons Library
- Scottish Government, “Summary statistics for schools in Scotland.” Source: Scottish Government
- Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA), “National 5 results.” Source: SQA
- Senedd Research, “Not in School: Pupil Absence in Wales.” Source: Senedd Research
- BBC News, “School absences in Northern Ireland reach record highs.” Source: BBC News
- TES, “High rates of persistent pupil absence in Scottish schools.” Source: TES
Author
Aileen has taught in Falkirk, UK since 2005 and began exploring EdTech in 2023. She has presented at conferences, led AI education webinars, and contributed to Dan Fitzpatrick's 'The AI Classroom' and articles for Time and Forbes on AI in education.
