The absence rate has peaked above the levels seen this time last year, despite a government drive to increase school attendance, government data shows.
The absence rate at state secondary schools was 8.8 per cent in the week commencing 25 September 2023 - a jump from 6.2 per cent recorded during the previous week.
The rate is also slightly higher than the equivalent week last year when 8.4 per cent of pupils were recorded as absent.
Overall absence was 6.9 per cent in the final week of September, up from 5 per cent in the previous week, and slightly up from 6.5 per cent this time last year.
Meanwhile, 5.2 per cent of pupils in primaries were absent in the week commencing 25 September, up from 3.9 per cent in the previous week and 4.9 per cent in the equivalent week the previous year.
And in special schools, the latest absence rate was 12.9 per cent, up from 10.1 per cent in the week starting 11 September and up from 12.3 per cent this time last year.
Increase in school absence
The latest data reveals that four in 10 absent pupils missed schools due to illness (3.74 per cent) - the most common reason for absence, in line with seasonal trends.
The importance of school attendance for “life chances” and the need for pupils to attend school if they display “mild symptoms” such as a “minor cough, runny nose or sore throat” were stressed in a joint letter sent to heads by medical leaders, including the chief medical officer, Professor Chris Whitty, earlier this month.
The letter aimed to “provide helpful information” to heads dealing with “some parents” who “feel less confident with assessing whether their child is well enough to be in school” following the pandemic.
It also emphasised that “worry and mild or moderate anxiety, while sometimes difficult emotions, can be a normal part of growing up” and that “being in school can often help alleviate the underlying issues”.
During the past academic year absence rates rose despite government efforts to tackle the attendance crisis. Data released in May 2023 showed that almost a quarter of pupils had been persistently absent during the 2022 autumn term.
Attendance hubs
Last month the Department for Education announced the creation of four new attendance hubs to help tackle absences, bringing the total to 14.
The move came after MPs on the Commons Education Select Committee called for a major review of pupils’ mental health needs and more support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities in a report on persistent absence.
Committee chair Robin Walker told Tes at the time that it was a mistake for the government not to legislate to create a register for children not in school.
A DfE spokesperson said it is taking action to increase attendance, and added: “Seasonal illness is a driver of absence in the autumn term and while it is appropriate for children to go to school with mild respiratory illnesses, further guidance is available for parents on when to keep their child home from school.”
