Accredited official statistics

Pupil absence in schools in England: autumn 2010 and spring 2011

This release reports on pupil absence in primary and secondary schools in the autumn and spring terms of the 2010 to 2011 academic year.

Applies to England

Documents

Main text: SFR25/2011

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National tables: SFR25/2011

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Local authority tables: SFR25/2011

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Underlying data: SFR25/2011

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Pre-release access list: SFR25/2011

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Details

Reference Id: SFR25/2011

Publication Type: Statistical First Release

Publication data: Local Authority data

Local Authority data: LA data

Region: England

Release Date: 19 October 2011

Coverage status: Final

Publication Status: Published

This statistical first release (SFR) reports on absence in state-funded primary and secondary schools in England in the autumn term 2010 and the spring term 2011.

This release provides information on the levels of absence (authorised, unauthorised and overall) by type of school, persistent absentees, on absence by reason, and absence by pupil characteristics.

The Department for Education recently reduced the threshold at which a pupil is classified as a persistent absentee (PA) and it is now defined in terms of those missing around 15% overall absence, down from around 20% overall absence. Across the autumn term 2010 and the spring term 2011, pupils are classed as PAs if absent for around 15% of all possible sessions (38 or more half days).

The key points from the latest release are:

  1. Across the 2 terms 5.2% of pupil enrolments were persistent absentees in state-funded primary schools and 9.5% of pupil enrolments in state-funded secondary schools.
  2. The rate of overall absence (authorised and unauthorised) for persistent absentees was 23.5%.
  3. Across state-funded primary and secondary schools, persistent absentees accounted for 29.2% of overall absence - 23.5% of authorised absence and 55.6% of unauthorised absence.
  4. For state-funded primary and secondary schools, absence rates (percentage of half days missed) for the combined autumn term 2010 and spring term 2011 were (figures in brackets refer to autumn term 2009 and spring term 2010): * authorised absence - 4.76% (5.03%) * unauthorised absence - 1.03% (1.01%) * overall absence - 5.78% (6.04%)

Laura Nurse - Schools Statistical Team
01325 735478

schools.statistics@education.gsi.gov.uk

Updates to this page

Published 19 October 2011

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