The proportion of pupils missing more than half of their classes has increased, the latest Department for Education data shows, despite an improvement in school attendance overall.

DfE figures show that 2.26 per cent of pupils were severely absent, meaning they missed at least half of their sessions, across the autumn and spring terms of 2024-25 - an increase from 2.14 per cent in 2023-24 and significantly above the pre-pandemic figure of 0.81 per cent in 2018-19.

However, the data released on Thursday shows that overall pupil absence has decreased - 6.63 per cent of possible school sessions were recorded as absence in the autumn and spring terms of 2024-25, the lowest rate seen since 2020-21.

Some progress has also been made in reducing the proportion of children who are persistently absent, missing 10 per cent or more of their classes, which had soared to 22.32 per cent in 2021-22.

This figure has been decreasing steadily since, and fell to 17.63 per cent in the latest data. However, this is still significantly above the persistent absence rate reported before the pandemic.

Positive signs on pupil absence

While severe absence has risen, the rate of increase has been slowing over the past two years, and a DfE spokesperson said the government is “slowing the stubborn rise in severe absence”.

The increase in severe absence is most apparent among children with an education, health and care plan (EHCP), which is a legal document setting out support required for young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).

The percentage of pupils with EHCPs missing more than half of their classes increased from 6.55 per cent in 2023-24 to 7.3 per cent this year.

There was a small decrease of 0.05 percentage points in the severe absence rate for pupils with no identified SEND needs.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary of the NAHT school leaders’ union, said the new figures on overall and persistent absence are a step in the right direction, but significant barriers remain for some children.

“Schools work hard to ensure children are in the classroom, but they cannot solve the root causes of absence alone. The reasons for severe and persistent absence often lay outside the school gates, including mental health challenges and societal issues like poverty,” he said.

Persistent absence has fallen for pupils who are eligible for free school meals, but it remains high at 31.03 per cent.

Susannah Hardyman, chief executive of Impetus, a non-profit organisation supporting children from disadvantaged backgrounds, said that while it is encouraging that absence rates are moving in the right direction, “the children in school today cannot afford to wait - by the time we return to pre-pandemic levels [of absence], they will have already endured nearly a decade of damage since the start of the pandemic”.

Schools have been facing an attendance crisis since the Covid-19 school closures, with the number of children missing school hitting a peak across the autumn and spring terms of 2021-22.

Giving evidence to the UK Covid-19 Inquiry earlier this month, former children’s commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield said there has been an increase in “virtually every indicator of vulnerability” since the pandemic.

The impact of poverty and mental health

In a statement provided to the inquiry, Baroness Longfield said she believes if more had been done to reopen schools and secure the attendance of vulnerable children at school during Covid, “we would not be seeing such high absence rates so many years after the pandemic ended”.

As part of the current government’s attempts to tackle absence, it has introduced free breakfast clubs in primary schools and announced that 600,000 pupils across 800 schools will have access to advice from attendance and behaviour hub schools.

Initiatives like these may help, said Mr Whiteman but he added that greater investment is needed in mental health services and social care to further tackle absence, as well as action on child poverty and the SEND system.

The publication of the government’s Schools White Paper, which will set out its plans to reform the SEND system, was expected this autumn but has now been delayed until early in the new year.

Education secretary Bridget Phillipson said in a letter that the delay will allow a further period of testing the reform proposals with families and teachers.

A DfE spokesperson said: “This government is taking the action needed to get our kids back in school, with the biggest improvement in attendance in a decade last academic year.

“Absence is down, persistent absence has plummeted and we are slowing the stubborn rise in severe absence.

“Through free breakfast clubs in every primary school, an attendance mentoring programme and ensuring earlier intervention for children with special needs, we are creating a school system that serves not just some children but supports every child to achieve and thrive.”

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