Record number of pupils missed half of school in summer term

A record number of pupils missed at least half of school in the summer term, new figures show.

Almost 160,000 children missed 50 per cent or more of class time, up 12 per cent on the previous term and over 160 per cent since before the pandemic.

It means that around one in 50 children was absent for the majority of the summer term last year.

The figures confirm the “worst fears” that regularly missing school is “becoming entrenched” after the pandemic, according to Beth Prescott, education lead at the Centre for Social Justice.

Department for Education data also showed that nearly 1.7 million children, or more than a fifth of pupils, missed more than 10 per cent of school in the summer term, an increase of more than 15 per cent on the previous term and 80 per cent since before the pandemic.

For 2021-22, unauthorised absence rate rose from 2.1 per cent in 2021-22 to 2.4 per cent in 2022-23.

This is nearly double the rate (1.4 per cent) during 2018-19, which was the last school year before the Covid-19 pandemic.

The findings come after Geoff Barton, head of the Association for School and College Leaders, said there has been a “shift in attitudes to schooling among some parents who see attendance as flexible”.

Dame Rachel de Souza, the Children’s Commissioner, has warned that high numbers of pupils missing lessons during exam years will risk their chances of good results.

Record 356,181 penalty notices issued in 2023

Last month, the Government announced a series of measures to boost attendance after the pandemic, including increasing fines from £60 to £80 for parents taking children out of school without permission.

A record 356,181 penalty notices were issued for unauthorised family holiday absences in 2023, up 24 per cent since 2019.

Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “School leaders and teachers are doing all they can to reverse the increase in pupils who are persistently absent post-pandemic, and we are pleased to see the number of children coming back into school is moving in the right direction.

“However, absence rates are still significantly higher than before Covid and much more needs to be done to bring them down.

“The causes can span everything from illness including mental health issues, to poverty and other challenges at home, and schools alone cannot bear the burden of solving these deep-rooted challenges.

“If the Government is serious about getting more pupils back into the classroom, there must be a significant bolstering of funding for the services that support schools including children’s social care, and mental health.”