Absence from school
Published
Contents
- 1. Main facts and figures
- 2. Overall absence by ethnicity
- 3. Overall absence by ethnicity and area
- 4. Overall absence by ethnicity and type of school
- 5. Persistent absence by ethnicity
- 6. Persistent absence by ethnicity and area
- 7. Persistent absence by ethnicity and type of school
- 8. Methodology
- 9. Data sources
- 10. Download the data
1. Main facts and figures
- in 2017/18, there were 8.1 million pupils at state-funded primary, secondary or special schools in England – of those, 67% were White British, 11% were Asian, 6% were Black, 6% were from the Other White ethnic group, 6% had Mixed ethnicity, and 0.4% were from the Chinese ethnic group
- in 2017/18, the overall absence rate (school sessions missed due to authorised and unauthorised absence) was 4.8%
- 11.2% of pupils missed 10% or more of their school sessions (classed as ‘persistent absence’)
- pupils from the Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma ethnic groups had the highest rates of overall absence and persistent absence
- pupils from the Chinese and Black African ethnic groups had the lowest rates of overall absence and persistent absence
Things you need to know
Data is based on pupil enrolments rather than individual pupils.
Some pupils may be counted more than once within the total enrolment figure, for example if they:
- moved schools during the academic year
- are registered in more than one school
Some of the statistics quoted here are based on very small numbers of pupils and can change a lot from year to year. For example, only 155 Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils went to a special school in January 2018.
It is a school’s responsibility to record absence data in their school census return. It is the parent’s responsibility to report the reason for a child’s absence from school.
Absence rates for each ethnic group vary across local authorities. Please use caution when comparing local authorities, as some have small numbers of pupil enrolments. Download the data for the total number of pupil enrolments in each local authority.
What the data measures
This data shows absence rates from state-funded primary, secondary and special schools in England.
‘Overall absence’ includes both authorised and unauthorised absences from school.
The overall absence rate is the total number of absences, as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions at school. There are usually 2 school sessions a day, in the morning and afternoon.
A pupil is ‘persistently absent’ if they miss 10% or more of their possible sessions at school.
The persistent absence rate is the total number of pupil enrolments who were persistently absent, as a percentage of all pupil enrolments.
The data covers the academic year from September 2017 to July 2018.
The ethnic categories used in this data
This data uses categories from the Department for Education’s school census. These groupings are broadly based on the 2001 national Census, with 3 exceptions:
- Traveller of Irish Heritage and Gypsy/Roma children have been separated into 2 categories
- Sri Lankan is included in the Asian/Asian British group but is not reported separately
- Chinese pupils have been assigned a separate category from Asian
These changes were made after consultations with local authorities and lobby groups.
Data is reported for 6 broad and 16 specific ethnic groups. These are:
Asian/Asian British:
- Indian
- Pakistani
- Bangladeshi
- Other Asian background
Black/African/Caribbean/Black British:
- Black African
- Black Caribbean
- Black Other
Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups:
- White and Black Caribbean
- White and Black African
- White and Asian
- Other Mixed background
White:
- White British
- White Irish
- Traveller of Irish Heritage
- Gypsy/Roma
- Other White
Chinese
Other ethnic group
The 6 broad categories are:
- Asian/Asian British
- Black/African/Caribbean/Black British
- Chinese
- Mixed/Multiple ethnic groups
- White
- Other
2. Overall absence by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| All | 4.8 | 118,236,069 |
| Asian | 4.5 | 11,734,046 |
| Bangladeshi | 4.8 | 2,001,126 |
| Indian | 3.7 | 2,633,874 |
| Pakistani | 5.1 | 5,415,862 |
| Asian other | 3.9 | 1,683,184 |
| Black | 3.5 | 4,820,607 |
| Black African | 3.0 | 2,722,717 |
| Black Caribbean | 5.0 | 1,390,378 |
| Black other | 3.8 | 707,512 |
| Chinese | 2.5 | 255,554 |
| Mixed | 5.1 | 7,150,280 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 4.5 | 1,507,696 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 4.6 | 874,564 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 6.1 | 2,296,452 |
| Mixed other | 4.8 | 2,471,568 |
| White | 4.9 | 90,535,960 |
| White British | 4.9 | 81,211,185 |
| White Irish | 5.7 | 389,824 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 13.0 | 1,063,451 |
| Irish Traveller | 18.8 | 330,497 |
| White other | 4.9 | 7,541,003 |
| Other | 4.4 | 1,986,871 |
Download table data for ‘Overall absence by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Overall absence by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school Overall absence by ethnicity Summary
The data shows that:
- in 2017/18, the overall absence rate (school sessions missed due to authorised and unauthorised absence) was 4.8%
- pupils from the Chinese ethnic group had the lowest overall absence rate, missing 2.5% of their total school sessions
- the ethnic groups with the highest overall absence rates were Traveller of Irish Heritage (18.8% of all sessions missed) and Gypsy/Roma (13.0%)
- White British pupils missed 4.9% of their total school sessions
3. Overall absence by ethnicity and area
| Local authority | Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Barking and Dagenham | 4.4 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 5.8 | 4.6 |
| Barnet | 4.0 | 3.9 | 2.3 | 4.8 | 4.4 | 4.3 |
| Barnsley | 4.5 | 2.8 | 1.7 | 4.9 | 5.4 | 4.3 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 4.7 | 6.2 | 2.8 | 5.7 | 5.0 | 5.9 |
| Bedford | 5.1 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Bexley | 3.6 | 2.3 | 2.2 | 4.6 | 5.2 | 4.4 |
| Birmingham | 5.0 | 4.0 | 2.4 | 5.8 | 5.6 | 4.3 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 4.2 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 5.1 | 5.5 | 5.3 |
| Blackpool | 4.2 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 5.1 | 5.0 | 4.5 |
| Bolton | 4.2 | 2.7 | 3.0 | 5.5 | 5.4 | 6.3 |
| Bournemouth | 4.1 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 4.0 |
| Bracknell Forest | 3.6 | 2.5 | 2.9 | 4.6 | 4.4 | 3.9 |
| Bradford | 4.7 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 6.1 | 5.6 | 4.4 |
| Brent | 3.9 | 4.4 | 2.2 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Brighton and Hove | 4.8 | 4.5 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| Bristol City of | 5.5 | 4.7 | 2.8 | 6.0 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Bromley | 3.9 | 3.3 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.1 |
| Buckinghamshire | 5.2 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 4.6 | 4.8 |
| Bury | 5.3 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.6 |
| Calderdale | 4.5 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 5.0 | 4.4 | 3.6 |
| Cambridgeshire | 4.4 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 4.5 | 4.6 | 4.5 |
| Camden | 5.4 | 4.2 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.6 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 4.7 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.6 |
| Cheshire East | 4.6 | 4.4 | 2.4 | 4.7 | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 4.8 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.0 |
| City of London | 3.6 | 3.2 | 7.5 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 1.9 |
| Cornwall | 5.9 | 5.1 | 3.4 | 5.5 | 5.1 | 6.4 |
| Coventry | 4.1 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 5.8 | 5.4 | 5.0 |
| Croydon | 4.5 | 3.8 | 2.3 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 4.6 |
| Cumbria | 4.1 | 3.3 | 3.1 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 5.9 |
| Darlington | 4.6 | 3.1 | 1.9 | 5.1 | 5.2 | 5.2 |
| Derby | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 5.9 | 5.3 | 4.6 |
| Derbyshire | 4.3 | 3.9 | 2.1 | 5.1 | 4.6 | 4.9 |
| Devon | 3.9 | 3.3 | 3.5 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| Doncaster | 4.6 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.3 |
| Dorset | 4.0 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.1 |
| Dudley | 4.8 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 4.8 |
| Durham | 4.0 | 3.8 | 2.0 | 4.2 | 4.9 | 4.9 |
| Ealing | 4.2 | 4.1 | 2.6 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 4.2 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 4.7 | 3.8 | 3.9 | 4.6 | 4.6 | 4.0 |
| East Sussex | 4.0 | 4.2 | 2.3 | 5.5 | 5.3 | 4.6 |
| Enfield | 4.6 | 3.8 | 2.2 | 5.0 | 5.4 | 4.6 |
| Essex | 4.0 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 3.7 |
| Gateshead | 4.5 | 2.2 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 4.7 | 4.0 |
| Gloucestershire | 4.0 | 3.5 | 4.1 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| Greenwich | 4.0 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 5.7 | 3.8 |
| Hackney | 4.6 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.1 |
| Halton | 4.0 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 5.0 | 5.3 | 4.3 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 4.6 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 5.3 | 5.1 | 5.0 |
| Hampshire | 3.7 | 2.7 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 4.6 | 3.8 |
| Haringey | 4.9 | 4.1 | 1.8 | 5.0 | 4.7 | 4.5 |
| Harrow | 3.7 | 4.5 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Hartlepool | 4.3 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 4.4 | 5.8 | 4.8 |
| Havering | 4.1 | 2.9 | 2.1 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 4.2 |
| Herefordshire | 4.6 | 4.0 | 5.4 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.3 |
| Hertfordshire | 4.4 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| Hillingdon | 4.0 | 4.1 | 2.9 | 4.7 | 5.9 | 3.8 |
| Hounslow | 4.1 | 3.7 | 2.7 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.1 |
| Isle of Wight | 3.9 | 3.6 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 5.0 | 5.6 |
| Isles Of Scilly | NA | NA | NA | 2.0 | 4.7 | NA |
| Islington | 4.9 | 4.1 | 2.3 | 5.2 | 5.5 | 4.4 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 4.7 | 4.2 | 3.8 | 5.4 | 4.9 | 4.5 |
| Kent | 3.6 | 2.6 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 4.1 |
| Kingston upon Hull City of | 4.2 | 2.4 | 1.7 | 4.2 | 5.1 | 4.2 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 4.1 | 4.2 | 2.7 | 4.6 | 4.3 | 3.9 |
| Kirklees | 4.8 | 3.9 | 2.1 | 5.8 | 4.6 | 5.1 |
| Knowsley | 3.2 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 6.0 | 5.8 | 5.8 |
| Lambeth | 4.8 | 4.4 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 4.5 | 5.0 |
| Lancashire | 4.7 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 4.9 | 4.5 | 5.2 |
| Leeds | 4.6 | 2.7 | 2.1 | 5.4 | 5.0 | 4.2 |
| Leicester | 4.2 | 3.8 | 2.1 | 6.3 | 6.3 | 5.0 |
| Leicestershire | 4.1 | 3.1 | 2.7 | 4.9 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
| Lewisham | 4.2 | 3.6 | 2.2 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.1 |
| Lincolnshire | 4.1 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.2 |
| Liverpool | 3.8 | 3.2 | 2.2 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 4.3 |
| Luton | 5.1 | 3.7 | 2.5 | 5.4 | 5.6 | 5.0 |
| Manchester | 4.4 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 5.4 | 5.7 | 4.0 |
| Medway | 3.9 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 4.7 | 4.9 | 3.9 |
| Merton | 4.0 | 3.5 | 2.6 | 4.7 | 4.5 | 3.9 |
| Middlesbrough | 4.2 | 2.7 | 2.6 | 5.9 | 6.0 | 4.7 |
| Milton Keynes | 4.6 | 3.0 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 5.1 | 4.5 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 4.5 | 2.4 | 2.4 | 4.4 | 5.7 | 4.3 |
| Newham | 4.4 | 3.4 | 1.9 | 5.2 | 5.6 | 4.1 |
| Norfolk | 4.2 | 3.2 | 2.3 | 5.2 | 5.1 | 4.6 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 5.3 | 3.6 | 2.0 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.3 |
| North Lincolnshire | 5.1 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 5.2 |
| North Somerset | 4.5 | 4.3 | 3.6 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 4.0 |
| North Tyneside | 4.5 | 2.8 | 3.2 | 4.3 | 4.8 | 4.3 |
| North Yorkshire | 4.2 | 3.7 | 3.3 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 4.2 |
| Northamptonshire | 4.2 | 3.0 | 2.4 | 5.0 | 4.9 | 4.3 |
| Northumberland | 4.6 | 3.1 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 5.3 |
| Nottingham | 4.3 | 3.1 | 1.8 | 5.4 | 5.3 | 4.5 |
| Nottinghamshire | 3.9 | 2.9 | 2.5 | 4.6 | 4.5 | 4.3 |
| Oldham | 4.8 | 2.6 | 2.0 | 5.5 | 5.2 | 6.8 |
| Oxfordshire | 5.0 | 3.7 | 3.2 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.1 |
| Peterborough | 4.6 | 2.9 | 2.2 | 4.8 | 5.0 | 4.2 |
| Plymouth | 4.9 | 3.1 | 3.1 | 5.0 | 5.2 | 4.3 |
| Poole | 4.3 | 3.3 | 1.6 | 4.8 | 4.7 | 3.8 |
| Portsmouth | 4.4 | 2.4 | 2.7 | 5.1 | 5.7 | 4.2 |
| Reading | 4.5 | 3.2 | 3.1 | 5.7 | 5.3 | 4.8 |
| Redbridge | 4.6 | 3.8 | 3.0 | 4.9 | 4.9 | 4.1 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 4.2 | 2.4 | 3.8 | 4.4 | 5.6 | 4.4 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 4.1 | 3.8 | 2.9 | 4.2 | 4.0 | 4.3 |
| Rochdale | 4.6 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 5.1 | 5.3 | 4.6 |
| Rotherham | 4.5 | 2.7 | 1.6 | 5.7 | 5.2 | 4.4 |
| Rutland | 2.7 | 2.7 | 1.9 | 3.2 | 3.5 | 3.7 |
| Salford | 4.3 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 3.9 | 5.4 | 4.2 |
| Sandwell | 4.1 | 3.6 | 2.3 | 5.3 | 5.3 | 4.4 |
| Sefton | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 5.0 | 5.0 | 4.4 |
| Sheffield | 4.8 | 3.4 | 2.2 | 5.9 | 5.4 | 5.0 |
| Shropshire | 4.4 | 4.0 | 2.8 | 5.3 | 4.8 | 5.2 |
| Slough | 4.4 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 4.7 | 5.3 | 4.2 |
| Solihull | 4.5 | 3.6 | 2.6 | 5.6 | 4.9 | 4.3 |
| Somerset | 4.2 | 3.4 | 4.1 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 5.3 |
| South Gloucestershire | 4.4 | 3.7 | 2.2 | 5.2 | 4.8 | 5.6 |
| South Tyneside | 4.3 | 2.8 | 2.9 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.6 |
| Southampton | 4.2 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.2 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 4.3 | 2.7 | 2.3 | 4.4 | 4.6 | 4.4 |
| Southwark | 4.9 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 4.4 |
| St. Helens | 3.6 | 2.8 | 2.0 | 4.4 | 4.9 | 3.9 |
| Staffordshire | 4.6 | 4.2 | 2.4 | 5.4 | 4.8 | 4.7 |
| Stockport | 5.2 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 5.2 | 5.0 | 5.0 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 4.5 | 2.1 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 5.2 | 3.7 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 4.7 | 2.8 | 1.6 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 5.4 |
| Suffolk | 4.5 | 3.7 | 2.0 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.1 |
| Sunderland | 4.1 | 2.7 | 2.7 | 5.8 | 5.3 | 4.9 |
| Surrey | 4.4 | 3.3 | 2.8 | 4.2 | 4.5 | 4.1 |
| Sutton | 3.9 | 3.1 | 2.6 | 4.5 | 4.9 | 4.0 |
| Swindon | 4.5 | 2.9 | 2.7 | 5.3 | 4.9 | 4.3 |
| Tameside | 4.4 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 4.8 | 4.9 | 4.4 |
| Telford and Wrekin | 4.4 | 2.5 | 2.4 | 5.1 | 4.9 | 4.1 |
| Thurrock | 4.0 | 2.3 | 2.3 | 4.3 | 5.1 | 3.7 |
| Torbay | 4.2 | 3.8 | 2.6 | 4.9 | 5.1 | 5.0 |
| Tower Hamlets | 4.3 | 3.3 | 2.2 | 5.4 | 5.9 | 3.8 |
| Trafford | 4.7 | 3.2 | 2.5 | 4.6 | 4.1 | 4.2 |
| Wakefield | 5.2 | 2.8 | 2.5 | 5.5 | 5.6 | 4.7 |
| Walsall | 4.2 | 3.1 | 2.2 | 5.6 | 5.4 | 4.6 |
| Waltham Forest | 5.2 | 4.2 | 1.8 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.5 |
| Wandsworth | 4.5 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 5.2 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| Warrington | 4.5 | 3.0 | 3.1 | 4.9 | 4.6 | 5.0 |
| Warwickshire | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.7 | 4.8 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| West Berkshire | 5.0 | 3.6 | 3.3 | 4.7 | 4.3 | 4.6 |
| West Sussex | 4.6 | 3.5 | 2.5 | 4.7 | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| Westminster | 4.9 | 4.1 | 2.3 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.8 |
| Wigan | 4.7 | 2.9 | 2.8 | 4.6 | 4.9 | 5.3 |
| Wiltshire | 3.7 | 3.8 | 3.2 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 4.6 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 4.5 | 4.0 | 2.6 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Wirral | 4.5 | 3.9 | 2.5 | 5.3 | 5.2 | 4.5 |
| Wokingham | 4.5 | 3.2 | 2.4 | 4.5 | 4.2 | 5.5 |
| Wolverhampton | 3.7 | 3.4 | 2.3 | 5.4 | 5.1 | 5.4 |
| Worcestershire | 4.7 | 3.5 | 2.8 | 5.0 | 4.8 | 4.8 |
| York | 4.4 | 3.5 | 3.1 | 4.7 | 4.7 | 4.7 |
Download table data for ‘Overall absence by ethnicity and area’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Overall absence by ethnicity and area’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school Overall absence by ethnicity and area Summary
This data shows that:
- in 2017/18, out of all local authorities where data was available, the overall absence rate among Asian pupils was highest in Cornwall (at 5.9%)
- the overall absence rate for Black pupils was highest in Bath and North East Somerset (at 6.2%)
- among pupils from the Chinese ethnic group, the overall absence rate was highest in the City of London (at 7.5%)
- the overall absence rate for pupils with Mixed ethnicity was highest in Leicester (at 6.3%)
- among White pupils, the overall absence rate was highest in Leicester (at 6.3%)
4. Overall absence by ethnicity and type of school
| Special | State-funded primary | State-funded secondary | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Special % | Special Sessions | State-funded primary % | State-funded primary Sessions | State-funded secondary % | State-funded secondary Sessions | Total % | Total Sessions |
| Asian | 11.0 | 369,344 | 4.3 | 6,496,248 | 4.5 | 4,868,454 | 4.5 | 11,734,046 |
| Bangladeshi | 11.2 | 65,624 | 4.7 | 1,101,926 | 4.7 | 833,576 | 4.8 | 2,001,126 |
| Indian | 8.7 | 53,911 | 3.6 | 1,522,191 | 3.7 | 1,057,772 | 3.7 | 2,633,874 |
| Pakistani | 12.1 | 191,564 | 4.8 | 2,922,145 | 5.3 | 2,302,153 | 5.1 | 5,415,862 |
| Asian other | 10.0 | 58,245 | 3.7 | 949,986 | 3.9 | 674,953 | 3.9 | 1,683,184 |
| Black | 7.8 | 189,006 | 3.1 | 2,458,609 | 3.8 | 2,172,992 | 3.5 | 4,820,607 |
| Black African | 7.2 | 109,493 | 2.7 | 1,444,381 | 3.2 | 1,168,843 | 3.0 | 2,722,717 |
| Black Caribbean | 9.5 | 48,357 | 4.4 | 636,188 | 5.4 | 705,833 | 5.0 | 1,390,378 |
| Black other | 8.2 | 31,156 | 3.5 | 378,040 | 4.1 | 298,316 | 3.8 | 707,512 |
| Chinese | 6.6 | 7,440 | 2.5 | 164,576 | 2.3 | 83,538 | 2.5 | 255,554 |
| Mixed | 10.8 | 223,678 | 4.5 | 3,830,296 | 5.9 | 3,096,306 | 5.1 | 7,150,280 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 9.9 | 35,937 | 4.0 | 822,366 | 5.2 | 649,393 | 4.5 | 1,507,696 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 9.6 | 27,092 | 4.0 | 483,521 | 5.4 | 363,951 | 4.6 | 874,564 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 12.1 | 77,933 | 5.2 | 1,159,535 | 7.2 | 1,058,984 | 6.1 | 2,296,452 |
| Mixed other | 10.6 | 82,716 | 4.4 | 1,364,874 | 5.4 | 1,023,978 | 4.8 | 2,471,568 |
| White | 10.3 | 2,608,077 | 4.2 | 44,297,246 | 5.8 | 43,630,637 | 4.9 | 90,535,960 |
| White British | 10.1 | 2,419,897 | 4.1 | 38,710,981 | 5.8 | 40,080,307 | 4.9 | 81,211,185 |
| White Irish | 12.9 | 11,445 | 5.1 | 187,641 | 6.2 | 190,738 | 5.7 | 389,824 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 22.2 | 28,419 | 12.1 | 646,722 | 14.6 | 388,310 | 13.0 | 1,063,451 |
| Irish Traveller | 28.9 | 12,434 | 18.8 | 252,169 | 17.4 | 65,894 | 18.8 | 330,497 |
| White other | 10.4 | 135,882 | 4.6 | 4,499,733 | 5.4 | 2,905,388 | 4.9 | 7,541,003 |
| Other | 10.5 | 58,431 | 4.2 | 1,114,716 | 4.7 | 813,724 | 4.4 | 1,986,871 |
Download table data for ‘Overall absence by ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Overall absence by ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school Overall absence by ethnicity and type of school Summary
The data shows that:
- in every ethnic group except Chinese and Traveller of Irish Heritage, the overall absence rate was highest in special schools and lowest in primary schools
5. Persistent absence by ethnicity
| Ethnicity | % | Pupil enrolments |
|---|---|---|
| All | 11.2 | 783,424 |
| Asian | 9.3 | 69,515 |
| Bangladeshi | 10.2 | 12,085 |
| Indian | 6.1 | 12,395 |
| Pakistani | 12.0 | 36,134 |
| Asian other | 7.1 | 8,901 |
| Black | 7.3 | 29,161 |
| Black African | 5.1 | 13,667 |
| Black Caribbean | 13.3 | 10,747 |
| Black other | 8.8 | 4,747 |
| Chinese | 3.0 | 871 |
| Mixed | 12.8 | 51,451 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 10.1 | 9,495 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 11.0 | 6,009 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 17.5 | 18,872 |
| Mixed other | 11.7 | 17,075 |
| White | 11.6 | 602,393 |
| White British | 11.3 | 532,445 |
| White Irish | 14.8 | 2,889 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 48.5 | 12,589 |
| Irish Traveller | 65.2 | 3,791 |
| White other | 11.4 | 50,679 |
| Other | 9.6 | 12,687 |
Download table data for ‘Persistent absence by ethnicity’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Persistent absence by ethnicity’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school Persistent absence by ethnicity Summary
This data shows that:
- in 2017/18, 11.2% of pupils missed 10% or more of their school sessions – this is defined as ‘persistent absence’
- 3.0% of pupils from the Chinese ethnic group were persistently absent, the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
- 65.2% of Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils were persistently absent, the highest percentage out of all ethnic groups
- 11.3% of White British pupils were persistently absent
6. Persistent absence by ethnicity and area
| Local Authority | Asian | Black | Chinese | Mixed | White | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Barking and Dagenham | 8.6 | 4.4 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 13.8 | 15.8 | 10.9 |
| Barnet | 6.8 | 8.3 | 2.1 | 10.4 | 8.4 | 7.7 |
| Barnsley | 10.3 | 5.9 | NA | 12.1 | 13.3 | 10.7 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 13.3 | 17.3 | NA | 14.7 | 11.3 | 16.1 |
| Bedford | 11.7 | 7.5 | 5.1 | 14.4 | 10.6 | 10.7 |
| Bexley | 5.6 | 3.0 | 1.8 | 11.0 | 12.8 | 7.9 |
| Birmingham | 11.6 | 9.4 | 3.7 | 16.7 | 15.2 | 9.5 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 8.7 | 6.7 | 5.2 | 13.5 | 14.7 | 15.8 |
| Blackpool | 8.2 | 11.9 | 4.5 | 12.8 | 12.5 | 11.1 |
| Bolton | 8.3 | 5.0 | 4.3 | 15.7 | 14.4 | 16.6 |
| Bournemouth | 9.0 | 5.1 | 4.8 | 12.0 | 11.8 | 9.9 |
| Bracknell Forest | 6.1 | 4.1 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 9.4 | 8.9 | 8.2 |
| Bradford | 11.0 | 7.6 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 17.8 | 15.3 | 10.8 |
| Brent | 7.2 | 10.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 12.1 | 11.9 | 11.1 |
| Brighton and Hove | 10.1 | 9.8 | 4.4 | 12.6 | 11.8 | 12.8 |
| Bristol City of | 14.3 | 11.8 | 3.7 | 16.8 | 13.5 | 13.5 |
| Bromley | 7.4 | 6.4 | 3.7 | 10.5 | 9.7 | 7.7 |
| Buckinghamshire | 12.1 | 8.1 | 2.7 | 13.6 | 10.2 | 12.8 |
| Bury | 12.1 | 6.5 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 13.2 | 11.8 | 11.4 |
| Calderdale | 10.0 | 3.8 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 13.5 | 9.8 | 6.9 |
| Cambridgeshire | 10.2 | 6.1 | 1.9 | 9.7 | 9.6 | 10.7 |
| Camden | 13.4 | 9.0 | 2.9 | 15.1 | 12.5 | 9.7 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 10.3 | 5.8 | 2.7 | 11.4 | 10.6 | 14.0 |
| Cheshire East | 9.9 | 11.5 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 12.6 | 9.9 | 11.8 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 12.7 | 8.8 | 2.1 | 13.2 | 11.5 | 4.7 |
| City of London | withheld to protect confidentiality | NA | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | NA |
| Cornwall | 18.2 | 15.3 | 8.7 | 14.0 | 12.2 | 19.0 |
| Coventry | 8.0 | 4.7 | 3.2 | 16.4 | 14.0 | 13.5 |
| Croydon | 8.9 | 8.5 | 1.6 | 13.3 | 12.5 | 9.5 |
| Cumbria | 8.9 | 8.0 | 4.6 | 10.3 | 10.9 | 18.0 |
| Darlington | 12.5 | 5.1 | NA | 13.1 | 13.4 | 8.0 |
| Derby | 8.1 | 6.4 | 3.0 | 16.7 | 14.0 | 10.0 |
| Derbyshire | 9.7 | 8.2 | 2.3 | 12.1 | 10.2 | 12.2 |
| Devon | 6.9 | 6.2 | 7.4 | 12.7 | 10.1 | 9.1 |
| Doncaster | 10.1 | 5.8 | 3.8 | 13.8 | 14.6 | 15.4 |
| Dorset | 7.7 | 8.2 | 6.1 | 11.7 | 11.0 | 9.8 |
| Dudley | 10.6 | 8.9 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 17.4 | 12.2 | 11.5 |
| Durham | 8.5 | 10.9 | 1.8 | 10.9 | 11.4 | 14.7 |
| Ealing | 8.4 | 8.1 | 2.9 | 11.9 | 10.5 | 7.6 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 9.5 | 10.9 | 12.0 | 10.7 | 10.6 | 7.0 |
| East Sussex | 7.8 | 10.7 | 3.1 | 14.0 | 12.4 | 10.4 |
| Enfield | 9.6 | 8.7 | 1.7 | 13.0 | 13.9 | 10.0 |
| Essex | 7.1 | 5.0 | 3.0 | 11.2 | 10.7 | 6.4 |
| Gateshead | 9.9 | 4.0 | 2.3 | 9.0 | 11.2 | 9.3 |
| Gloucestershire | 6.6 | 6.8 | 8.3 | 13.4 | 10.9 | 12.7 |
| Greenwich | 7.2 | 5.3 | 2.4 | 13.1 | 15.6 | 7.3 |
| Hackney | 9.7 | 8.0 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 12.6 | 10.9 | 7.7 |
| Halton | 11.1 | withheld to protect confidentiality | NA | 11.8 | 13.4 | 11.8 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 11.3 | 11.1 | 4.5 | 13.5 | 11.9 | 12.5 |
| Hampshire | 7.1 | 4.7 | 4.4 | 9.2 | 9.8 | 5.5 |
| Haringey | 9.6 | 9.2 | 1.6 | 12.5 | 10.7 | 9.6 |
| Harrow | 5.8 | 10.9 | 2.0 | 11.7 | 9.9 | 10.0 |
| Hartlepool | 6.4 | 6.1 | NA | 9.3 | 15.2 | 7.4 |
| Havering | 8.1 | 6.5 | 1.6 | 12.5 | 12.2 | 11.9 |
| Herefordshire | 5.3 | 10.5 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 9.6 | 10.9 | 6.0 |
| Hertfordshire | 8.6 | 6.3 | 4.0 | 11.7 | 10.6 | 8.2 |
| Hillingdon | 7.2 | 8.2 | 5.6 | 11.3 | 15.4 | 6.7 |
| Hounslow | 7.3 | 6.8 | 2.2 | 13.0 | 12.3 | 7.4 |
| Isle of Wight | 9.5 | withheld to protect confidentiality | NA | 11.6 | 12.5 | 12.8 |
| Isles Of Scilly | NA | NA | NA | NA | 7.2 | NA |
| Islington | 11.2 | 8.6 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 14.2 | 14.8 | 9.1 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 8.0 | 8.5 | 7.5 | 13.0 | 11.1 | 9.8 |
| Kent | 6.2 | 4.4 | 3.4 | 10.3 | 12.4 | 7.9 |
| Kingston upon Hull City of | 8.3 | 3.8 | NA | 9.3 | 13.2 | 7.6 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 6.4 | 8.8 | 2.8 | 10.6 | 8.2 | 6.2 |
| Kirklees | 11.0 | 9.2 | 4.0 | 15.3 | 10.4 | 13.6 |
| Knowsley | 6.7 | 4.5 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 17.5 | 16.2 | 15.7 |
| Lambeth | 10.8 | 10.7 | 1.6 | 13.2 | 9.7 | 12.2 |
| Lancashire | 11.1 | 5.5 | 2.0 | 11.6 | 10.1 | 13.9 |
| Leeds | 9.9 | 4.7 | 2.5 | 13.7 | 12.2 | 8.9 |
| Leicester | 8.3 | 7.5 | 2.2 | 16.7 | 17.9 | 12.6 |
| Leicestershire | 6.8 | 4.7 | 4.1 | 11.3 | 10.3 | 9.0 |
| Lewisham | 7.5 | 7.7 | 1.7 | 13.0 | 11.4 | 9.0 |
| Lincolnshire | 7.1 | 5.0 | 3.3 | 10.5 | 11.5 | 10.1 |
| Liverpool | 7.1 | 6.6 | 2.8 | 14.7 | 15.3 | 9.3 |
| Luton | 11.2 | 7.7 | 4.6 | 13.5 | 14.5 | 12.9 |
| Manchester | 9.1 | 5.0 | 1.8 | 14.1 | 14.9 | 9.1 |
| Medway | 6.6 | 3.7 | 2.8 | 11.4 | 11.9 | 7.8 |
| Merton | 6.6 | 6.6 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 10.0 | 9.8 | 7.1 |
| Middlesbrough | 8.4 | 4.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 18.6 | 16.6 | 11.0 |
| Milton Keynes | 10.0 | 5.1 | 2.1 | 12.4 | 13.0 | 9.7 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 10.0 | 4.2 | 3.3 | 10.1 | 14.8 | 10.7 |
| Newham | 8.6 | 6.7 | 2.1 | 14.2 | 16.2 | 8.7 |
| Norfolk | 10.2 | 6.6 | 3.2 | 12.9 | 12.0 | 10.9 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 10.7 | 6.5 | NA | 12.4 | 12.0 | 9.1 |
| North Lincolnshire | 12.2 | 10.5 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 11.5 | 11.1 | 15.3 |
| North Somerset | 10.1 | 11.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 12.7 | 10.6 | 9.1 |
| North Tyneside | 10.0 | 4.5 | 3.2 | 9.5 | 10.7 | 9.0 |
| North Yorkshire | 8.1 | 7.5 | 8.4 | 11.3 | 10.8 | 8.5 |
| Northamptonshire | 8.3 | 4.7 | 3.5 | 12.1 | 11.0 | 8.7 |
| Northumberland | 10.1 | 10.2 | 5.5 | 11.8 | 10.8 | 17.1 |
| Nottingham | 8.9 | 5.7 | 1.7 | 14.8 | 14.4 | 12.8 |
| Nottinghamshire | 7.2 | 4.7 | 2.9 | 10.2 | 9.5 | 8.5 |
| Oldham | 10.9 | 5.0 | NA | 15.2 | 13.3 | 22.0 |
| Oxfordshire | 11.6 | 7.6 | 5.8 | 12.6 | 10.5 | 7.4 |
| Peterborough | 8.8 | 4.4 | 2.8 | 11.2 | 12.7 | 8.0 |
| Plymouth | 11.7 | 5.4 | 3.8 | 11.7 | 12.3 | 8.4 |
| Poole | 7.8 | 5.8 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 11.2 | 10.2 | 7.5 |
| Portsmouth | 8.7 | 3.9 | 5.0 | 11.2 | 14.5 | 9.8 |
| Reading | 9.7 | 7.0 | 3.9 | 16.0 | 13.1 | 11.1 |
| Redbridge | 9.4 | 7.9 | 3.1 | 11.7 | 11.2 | 9.5 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 4.9 | NA | withheld to protect confidentiality | 9.4 | 13.6 | 11.7 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 7.2 | 9.2 | 2.7 | 8.7 | 7.6 | 8.3 |
| Rochdale | 10.0 | 4.0 | 4.5 | 13.6 | 13.7 | 11.5 |
| Rotherham | 9.6 | 4.6 | NA | 17.5 | 12.7 | 9.0 |
| Rutland | withheld to protect confidentiality | withheld to protect confidentiality | NA | 3.7 | 5.2 | withheld to protect confidentiality |
| Salford | 9.3 | 4.1 | NA | 9.6 | 14.1 | 10.4 |
| Sandwell | 7.4 | 8.2 | 2.1 | 14.8 | 13.4 | 9.8 |
| Sefton | 7.5 | 5.0 | 3.8 | 12.8 | 11.8 | 11.8 |
| Sheffield | 11.1 | 7.6 | 2.1 | 16.5 | 13.7 | 12.9 |
| Shropshire | 9.9 | 9.0 | 5.9 | 12.4 | 10.6 | 15.4 |
| Slough | 7.9 | 5.6 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 11.8 | 13.3 | 7.1 |
| Solihull | 8.2 | 8.2 | 3.3 | 14.6 | 11.2 | 8.1 |
| Somerset | 9.6 | 4.1 | 7.6 | 13.0 | 11.5 | 12.3 |
| South Gloucestershire | 8.1 | 8.2 | NA | 12.2 | 10.4 | 14.1 |
| South Tyneside | 7.9 | 5.7 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 12.5 | 11.7 | 11.6 |
| Southampton | 9.3 | 6.1 | 5.3 | 13.5 | 13.0 | 9.7 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 8.7 | 4.3 | 3.0 | 9.6 | 10.4 | 7.9 |
| Southwark | 11.5 | 6.8 | 3.4 | 13.2 | 13.1 | 9.9 |
| St. Helens | 4.6 | 5.5 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 10.4 | 11.3 | 7.0 |
| Staffordshire | 10.0 | 10.6 | 1.8 | 14.2 | 10.3 | 11.8 |
| Stockport | 12.0 | 7.2 | 5.1 | 12.9 | 11.7 | 10.7 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 8.6 | 3.4 | NA | 14.1 | 12.3 | 9.2 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 10.2 | 5.6 | 2.0 | 15.5 | 13.8 | 16.5 |
| Suffolk | 8.8 | 7.7 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 10.7 | 10.9 | 9.2 |
| Sunderland | 7.8 | 4.6 | 5.3 | 15.4 | 12.8 | 13.7 |
| Surrey | 8.8 | 6.3 | 3.6 | 8.3 | 9.8 | 7.2 |
| Sutton | 7.4 | 5.8 | 3.4 | 10.4 | 11.2 | 8.7 |
| Swindon | 9.6 | 4.5 | 4.4 | 14.9 | 11.3 | 9.1 |
| Tameside | 8.2 | 5.6 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 11.3 | 11.3 | 8.9 |
| Telford and Wrekin | 9.0 | 4.7 | 3.3 | 12.7 | 12.0 | 11.0 |
| Thurrock | 7.3 | 3.4 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 10.0 | 11.7 | 6.5 |
| Torbay | 6.4 | 10.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 9.4 | 12.1 | 8.2 |
| Tower Hamlets | 8.2 | 6.2 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 14.0 | 16.2 | 6.1 |
| Trafford | 9.2 | 6.0 | 1.6 | 10.5 | 8.5 | 7.0 |
| Wakefield | 13.5 | 5.3 | 3.2 | 15.6 | 15.3 | 11.7 |
| Walsall | 8.2 | 6.4 | 2.0 | 14.7 | 13.3 | 11.4 |
| Waltham Forest | 12.5 | 10.3 | 3.4 | 14.1 | 13.9 | 9.6 |
| Wandsworth | 9.2 | 10.3 | 3.3 | 13.3 | 9.3 | 9.5 |
| Warrington | 10.9 | 5.6 | 3.5 | 11.7 | 10.2 | 12.2 |
| Warwickshire | 5.4 | 6.0 | 1.9 | 11.2 | 10.6 | 7.8 |
| West Berkshire | 11.4 | 7.4 | 8.2 | 12.4 | 9.0 | 12.8 |
| West Sussex | 9.4 | 7.3 | 1.2 | 11.1 | 10.9 | 8.5 |
| Westminster | 11.0 | 9.7 | 2.1 | 13.3 | 10.5 | 10.2 |
| Wigan | 9.5 | 4.4 | 3.1 | 10.9 | 11.3 | 13.6 |
| Wiltshire | 7.2 | 8.6 | 2.0 | 12.1 | 10.8 | 11.0 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 8.5 | 8.9 | 5.3 | 7.4 | 9.3 | 10.4 |
| Wirral | 9.8 | 10.0 | 4.8 | 12.8 | 13.4 | 12.5 |
| Wokingham | 8.6 | 7.5 | 2.6 | 9.8 | 8.5 | 16.4 |
| Wolverhampton | 6.5 | 7.8 | 4.6 | 15.5 | 12.9 | 15.1 |
| Worcestershire | 10.7 | 8.3 | withheld to protect confidentiality | 12.2 | 11.0 | 11.4 |
| York | 10.0 | 6.9 | 3.2 | 10.0 | 11.1 | 10.7 |
Download table data for ‘Persistent absence by ethnicity and area’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Persistent absence by ethnicity and area’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school Persistent absence by ethnicity and area Summary
This data shows that:
- in 2017/18, out of all local authorities where data was available, the persistent absence rate among Asian pupils was highest in Cornwall (at 18.2%)
- the persistent absence rate for Black pupils was highest in Bath and North East Somerset (at 17.3%)
- among pupils from the Chinese ethnic group, the persistent absence rate was highest in Cornwall (at 8.7%); although the figures show a higher rate in East Riding of Yorkshire (12.0%), the number of pupils (25) is too small to make reliable generalisations
- the persistent absence rate for pupils with Mixed ethnicity was highest in Middlesbrough (at 18.6%)
- among White pupils, the persistent absence rate was highest in Leicester (at 17.9%)
7. Persistent absence by ethnicity and type of school
| Special | State-funded primary | State-funded secondary | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Special % | Special Pupil enrolments | State-funded primary % | State-funded primary Pupil enrolments | State-funded secondary % | State-funded secondary Pupil enrolments | Total % | Total Pupil enrolments |
| Asian | 35.2 | 3,321 | 8.5 | 36,627 | 9.5 | 29,567 | 9.3 | 69,515 |
| Bangladeshi | 37.1 | 608 | 10.0 | 6,530 | 9.6 | 4,947 | 10.2 | 12,085 |
| Indian | 27.0 | 470 | 5.7 | 6,878 | 6.1 | 5,047 | 6.1 | 12,395 |
| Pakistani | 39.4 | 1,741 | 10.9 | 18,466 | 12.6 | 15,927 | 12.0 | 36,134 |
| Asian other | 30.7 | 502 | 6.5 | 4,753 | 7.2 | 3,646 | 7.1 | 8,901 |
| Black | 22.8 | 1,575 | 6.0 | 13,489 | 8.3 | 14,097 | 7.3 | 29,161 |
| Black African | 20.3 | 874 | 4.3 | 6,570 | 5.7 | 6,223 | 5.1 | 13,667 |
| Black Caribbean | 29.9 | 448 | 11.2 | 4,576 | 14.8 | 5,723 | 13.3 | 10,747 |
| Black other | 23.3 | 253 | 7.5 | 2,343 | 9.9 | 2,151 | 8.8 | 4,747 |
| Chinese | 16.3 | 52 | 2.7 | 514 | 3.0 | 305 | 3.0 | 871 |
| Mixed | 32.0 | 1,912 | 10.4 | 25,248 | 15.7 | 24,291 | 12.8 | 51,451 |
| Mixed White/Asian | 27.8 | 289 | 8.1 | 4,634 | 12.7 | 4,572 | 10.1 | 9,495 |
| Mixed White/Black African | 26.2 | 214 | 8.9 | 3,047 | 13.9 | 2,748 | 11.0 | 6,009 |
| Mixed White/Black Caribbean | 36.8 | 690 | 14.2 | 8,906 | 21.3 | 9,276 | 17.5 | 18,872 |
| Mixed other | 32.0 | 719 | 9.8 | 8,661 | 13.9 | 7,695 | 11.7 | 17,075 |
| White | 29.1 | 21,398 | 8.7 | 254,925 | 14.9 | 326,070 | 11.6 | 602,393 |
| White British | 28.7 | 19,796 | 8.2 | 214,957 | 14.8 | 297,692 | 11.3 | 532,445 |
| White Irish | 38.8 | 100 | 13.1 | 1,349 | 16.2 | 1,440 | 14.8 | 2,889 |
| Gypsy/Roma | 58.1 | 222 | 46.3 | 7,797 | 52.2 | 4,570 | 48.5 | 12,589 |
| Irish Traveller | 73.0 | 92 | 67.3 | 2,998 | 56.8 | 701 | 65.2 | 3,791 |
| White other | 31.6 | 1,188 | 9.9 | 27,824 | 13.7 | 21,667 | 11.4 | 50,679 |
| Other | 32.6 | 512 | 8.7 | 6,810 | 10.3 | 5,365 | 9.6 | 12,687 |
Download table data for ‘Persistent absence by ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV) Source data for ‘Persistent absence by ethnicity and type of school’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school Persistent absence by ethnicity and type of school Summary
The data shows that:
- in every ethnic group except Bangladeshi and Traveller of Irish Heritage, the persistent absence rate was highest in special schools and lowest in primary schools
8. Methodology
Schools provide pupil absence data every term through the school census. National codes allow them to record and track attendance and absence in a consistent way.
Absence information is matched with each pupil's enrolment.
The school census collects information about a pupil’s attendance in the term before the census. For example, the spring school census collects information on absence during the autumn term.
Data on absence is collected at enrolment level rather than pupil level. This means that pupils who changed school during the school year will have more than 1 enrolment.
All state-funded mainstream schools have 2 sessions per day, morning and afternoon. They have to take a register at the start of the morning session and during the afternoon session.
Parents who don't ensure their child attends school can be prosecuted or fined. Local authorities and schools are legally responsible for the accurate recording of a pupil’s attendance.
Suppression rules and disclosure control
Figures based on 2 or fewer pupil enrolments have been suppressed. Rates have been rounded to the nearest 1 decimal place.
For more information about DfE’s disclosure control procedures for its statistical releases please see DfE’s statistical policy statement on confidentiality (PDF).
Related publications
Schools, pupils and their characteristics: January 2018
Quality and methodology information
9. Data sources
Source
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Education
Publication frequency
Every academic term
Purpose of data source
The data helps schools, local authorities and the government have a greater understanding of the level of absence and the reasons for it.