| SPOTLIGHT |
Unauthorised absence has risen by more than 80% in secondary schools and almost 40% in primary schools since the pandemic, analysis by the Education Policy Institute (EPI) has revealed.
The report, published last week (9 August), found that although overall absence rates have fallen slightly, unauthorised absence rates have risen.
In the year to autumn 2023/24, unauthorised absence increased 5.5% at secondary and 1.5% at primary - leaving unauthorised absence rates almost 40% higher at primary and over 80% higher at secondary than they were pre-pandemic (2019/20).
Between autumn 2022/23 and 2023/24, overall absence at primary schools fell from 6.3% to 5.3% and at secondary schools from 8.8% to 8.1%.
The EPI attributed the improvement to “an unwinding of some of the global effects of Covid-19”, noting that there has been a reduction in the rate of authorised absence due to illness.
However, the report warned that absence is still far higher among vulnerable pupils, and the difference “continues to increase”.
Pupils with profound and multiple learning difficulties entered the pandemic with the highest levels of overall absence (an average of 11.1 days in autumn 2019/20), and continue to experience the highest levels of absenteeism (an average of 12.7 days in autumn 2023/24), the data revealed.
However, the largest increases in absenteeism over the pandemic were amongst pupils with autism, and social emotional and mental health needs. These pupils had over an additional two days of absence in autumn 2022/23 compared to pre-pandemic.
The EPI concluded: “Whilst there was a fall in the overall level of absence to autumn 2023/24, this was driven by falls in illness-related absence as the pandemic has subsided, and unauthorised absences have in fact increased. The overall rate of absence remains high compared to pre-pandemic standards for all pupils.”
It added: “Recently published official data has provided fresh insights into how absence patterns have developed for different groups of pupils during and post the pandemic. Concerningly, disadvantaged pupils and children with special educational needs were particularly hard hit by the pandemic, with absence increasing more than amongst other pupils. This has now been compounded in the year after the pandemic, with these pupil groups seeing a smaller decline in absence rates than others. Some SEN pupils, in particular those with mental health needs, have even seen further increases in absence.”
Responding to the report, a spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “High and rising school standards are at the heart of our mission to break down barriers to opportunity and give every child the best start in life. Strong foundations of learning are grounded in attendance in the classroom - and when children are not in school, it's not just those children who miss out but those around them too.
“Our 'support-first' approach to attendance encourages schools to work alongside parents to meet their responsibilities to ensure they child attends school. We will also tackle the causes of absence including by providing access to specialist mental health professionals in every secondary school, introducing free breakfast clubs in every primary and ensuring earlier intervention in mainstream schools for pupils with special needs.”
Lottie Winson
