Number of pupils in England off school increased ahead of Christmas holidays
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The number of pupils in England off school without permission increased ahead of the Christmas holidays, figures suggest. Data from the Department for Education (DfE) shows that the unauthorised absence rate across state schools in England was 3.4% in the week ending December 20 – which was the last week of term.
This was higher than at the start of the term – the week ending September 13 – when the rate was 1.9%, and higher than before the half-term – the week ending October 25 – when it was 2.4%, according to the DfE figures. It comes as parents in England face higher fines if they take their children out of class without permission this academic year as part of a Government drive to boost school attendance since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest data also shows that the overall absence rate – authorised and unauthorised – was 9.5% in the week ending December 20, which was “the highest absence rate” of the autumn term in 2024. The absence rate varied across the last week of term – with a low of 8.5% on Tuesday and a peak of 12.9% on Friday.
Most of the rise in absences towards the end of term was “driven by illness”, the DfE said. The figures are difficult to compare with the equivalent period the year before as there is only national attendance data available for the week ending December 15 in 2023, which was not the last week of term for many pupils.
