Nearly 150,000 children in England missed at least half of their classes during autumn last year, marking the highest rate of severe absence since records began. Government figures reveal a troubling trend that shows the lasting impact of the pandemic on school attendance.
Department for Education (DfE) data indicates that 2.04% of pupils were "severely absent" in autumn 2024, up from 1.97% in autumn 2023. This represents 147,605 pupils who missed at least 50% of possible school sessions, compared to 142,487 in the previous autumn term.
Pre-pandemic comparison shows stark difference
The scale of the problem becomes clear when compared to pre-pandemic levels. In autumn 2019, only 0.86% of pupils were severely absent, representing just 60,244 children across England.
The data also reveals that 17.79% of pupils in England, about 1.28 million young people, were "persistently absent" during autumn 2024. This means they missed at least 10% of school sessions, though this figure has decreased from 19.44% in the same period of 2023.
Government increases fines for unauthorised absences
The former Conservative government announced plans to increase fines for parents who take their children out of class without permission in February last year. In September, school absence fines in England rose from £60 to £80, with second offences within three years now carrying a £160 penalty.
Despite the increased fines, unauthorised holiday rates remained broadly unchanged at 0.47% in autumn 2024. Analysis by PA news agency found that whilst most regions saw decreases, the North West, East and South East reached record highs of 0.59%, 0.39% and 0.38% respectively.
Academic year shows mixed results
Separate DfE figures released on Thursday showed that more than one in nine pupils were absent on the last day of the 2024/25 academic year. However, these figures were lower than the equivalent day in the previous school year.
Overall, the pupil absence rate across the 2024/25 academic year was 6.9%, down from 7.2% the previous year. This represents progress, though experts warn that severe absence cases require urgent attention.
Education leaders call for targeted support
Margaret Mulholland from the Association of School and College Leaders said it was "troubling" that severe absence rates continued rising despite overall improvements. She emphasised the need to invest in attendance services and work directly with families to identify underlying issues.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders' union, described the figures as "another small step in the right direction" but warned that significant barriers remain. He argued that fining parents was "a crude tool" that failed to address root causes including mental ill-health and poverty.
Long-term concerns about entrenched absence
Beth Prescott from the Centre for Social Justice warned that five years after school closures, absences could no longer be viewed as a "post-pandemic blip". She called for ministers to work with local charities and families to provide mentorship for absent pupils.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson described the attendance improvements as showing the Government was "turning the tide on a crisis". She emphasised that getting children back in classrooms was "non-negotiable" for building a fairer country and breaking links between background and success.
(PA) Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
