When schools are trying to tackle persistent absence, the conversation typically turns to behaviour and suspensions, family dynamics, or post-pandemic realignment.
But new research on attendance drivers from ImpactEd Group suggests we might be missing something important in this mix: the simple power of friendship.
New data from 46,602 secondary students paints a striking picture of the reasons behind young people’s attendance and the levers that school leaders can pull as they seek to reduce persistent absence.
The numbers tell a relational story
ImpactEd Group’s Understanding Attendance study, conducted across 62 secondary schools in 2025, reveals familiar fault lines. Pupil premium students attend roughly two percentage points less than their peers, while the attendance of students with SEND is down about 1.3 points.
Students with English as an additional language (EAL) buck the trend, attending slightly more.
The figures also confirm what many teachers already know: Year 8 is a flashpoint. Engagement shifts through Year 7 and into Year 8 result in attendance plummeting from 96.9 per cent in Year 7 to 95.4 per cent in Year 8.
After this, attendance continues to decline gradually through to Year 11, before rising again in Year 12 and dropping in Year 13. This finding highlights lower key stage 3 as a critical stage for preventative interventions.
Many of these findings are familiar, but in our latest research, a less-recognised variable emerges as a factor worth paying attention to: peer relationships.
Belonging isn’t optional; it’s structural
Among six factors tested, family and home environment remain the strongest overall predictors of attendance. For example, we found that decisions about whether students are well enough to attend school are the biggest driver for attending.
That makes intuitive sense: parents have a significant influence on whether their child makes it to the school gates.
Yet, once at school, peer relationships appear to be important - especially for those already on the margins. When Pupil Premium students score one point higher on peer relationship measures, their attendance climbs by 1.4 percentage points. For students with SEND, it’s 1.5 points. The boost is smaller for students with EAL (0.8 points).
In other words, for disadvantaged students and those with SEND in particular, friendship isn’t peripheral to the attendance problem; it can be an enabler to support attendance.
What it means for schools
What do these findings mean for schools? First, the dip in early key stage 3 attendance suggests that transition support should extend beyond Year 7, with a focus on strengthening engagement and belonging throughout key stage 3.
Second, the largest attendance gaps remain among pupil premium and students with SEND, suggesting that early identification and personalised, relational support should remain central to attendance strategies.
Third, the strong predictive power of the family environment - particularly around attendance decisions - highlights the importance of building trust with parents and carers. This finding aligns with our earlier findings from previous cohorts.
Finally, the “friend factor” - that is, investment in school climate and, in particular, high-quality peer relationships and meaningful incentives - can play an important role in supporting attendance.
Overall, the findings don’t diminish the importance of family engagement or normal persistent absence protocols. But they do shift where schools might focus some of their energy. If peer relationships impact attendance for disadvantaged students, in particular, then measures to boost those relationships should not be seen as a “soft” add-on.
Schools may want to think more systematically about how they support students to build and nurture connections, particularly during that fragile Year 7 to 8 transition.
Dr Lauren Bellaera is director of research and insights at ImpactEd Group
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