Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

Absence by geography

Not the latest data

Published 26 March 2020

Last updated 26 March 2020

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: Pupil absence in schools in England
• Release: Academic year 2018/19
• Number of rows: 285,264
• Geographic levels: Local authority, National, Regional
• Geographic levels (only available via download / public API): School
• Indicators:
  • Authorised absence rate
  • Authorised absence rate of persistent absentees
  • Number of authorised absence sessions
  • Number of authorised absence sessions of persistent absentees
  • Number of authorised holiday sessions
  • Number of authorised other sessions
  • Number of authorised reasons sessions
  • Number of excluded sessions
  • Number of extended authorised holiday sessions
  • Number of illness sessions
  • Number of late sessions
  • Number of medical appointments sessions
  • Number of no reason yet sessions
  • Number of overall absence sessions
  • Number of overall absence sessions of persistent absentees
  • Number of overall reasons sessions
  • Number of persistent absentees
  • Number of pupil enrolments
  • Number of religious observance sessions
  • Number of schools
  • Number of sessions possible
  • Number of sessions possible of persistent absentees
  • Number of study leave sessions
  • Number of traveller sessions
  • Number of unauthorised absence sessions
  • Number of unauthorised absence sessions of persistent absentees
  • Number of unauthorised holiday sessions
  • Number of unauthorised other sessions
  • Number of unauthorised reasons sessions
  • Overall absence rate
  • Overall absence rate of persistent absentees
  • Percentage of persistent absentees
  • Unauthorised absence rate
  • Unauthorised absence rate of persistent absentees
• Filters:
  • School type
• Time period: 2006/07 to 2018/19

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Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data

time_identifier	year_breakdown	time_period	geographic_level	country_code	country_name	region_code	region_name	old_la_code	new_la_code	la_name	estab	laestab	urn	school_type	academy_type	academy_open_date	all_through	num_schools	enrolments	sess_possible	sess_overall	sess_authorised	sess_unauthorised	sess_overall_percent	sess_authorised_percent	sess_unauthorised_percent	enrolments_pa_10_exact	enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	sess_possible_pa_10_exact	sess_overall_pa_10_exact	sess_authorised_pa_10_exact	sess_unauthorised_pa_10_exact	sess_overall_percent_pa_10_exact	sess_authorised_percent_pa_10_exact	sess_unauthorised_percent_pa_10_exact	sess_auth_illness	sess_auth_appointments	sess_auth_religious	sess_auth_study	sess_auth_traveller	sess_auth_holiday	sess_auth_ext_holiday	sess_auth_excluded	sess_auth_other	sess_auth_totalreasons	sess_unauth_holiday	sess_unauth_late	sess_unauth_other	sess_unauth_noyet	sess_unauth_totalreasons	sess_overall_totalreasons
Academic year	six half terms	201819	National	E92000001	England									Total				21214	7105958	2522300237	119207289	83570764	35636525	4.7	3.3	1.4	771863	10.9	245677269	46824152	27473608	19350544	19.1	11.2	7.9	62028416	7023954	1284288	713116	259678	1673684	:	2049972	7588162	82621270	10265362	1812826	21845078	1360377	35283643	117904913
Academic year	six half terms	201819	National	E92000001	England									State-funded primary				16780	3985705	1436932866	57891483	41461217	16430266	4	2.9	1.1	328745	8.2	105485110	16865678	10393866	6471812	16	9.9	6.1	31898103	3173319	770735	1717	193369	1169235	:	297184	3129669	40633331	7231964	1119390	7248961	515482	16115797	56749128
Academic year	six half terms	201819	National	E92000001	England									State-funded secondary				3406	3014063	1048058779	57537416	39194655	18342761	5.5	3.7	1.8	412485	13.7	129945099	27255704	15120553	12135151	21	11.6	9.3	28556896	3449142	494590	705855	63475	366820	:	1694747	3779537	39111062	2952013	647194	13902932	815075	18317214	57428276
Academic year	six half terms	201819	National	E92000001	England									Special				1028	106190	37308592	3778390	2914892	863498	10.1	7.8	2.3	30633	28.8	10247060	2702770	1959189	743581	26.4	19.1	7.3	1573417	401493	18963	5544	2834	137629	:	58041	678956	2876877	81385	46242	693185	29820	850632	3727509
Academic year	six half terms	201819	Regional	E92000001	England	E12000001	North East							Total				1101	332726	118403044	5944784	3878412	2066372	5.0208	3.2756	1.7452	40161	12.07029	12829243	2486819	1340268	1146551	19.38399	10.44698	8.93701	2923581	292092	23713	5966	15001	122139	:	144318	327707	3854517	678388	47244	1263941	70957	2060530	5915047

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Variables in this data set

Table showing all 35 variables

Variable name	Variable description
enrolments	Number of pupil enrolments
enrolments_pa_10_exact	Number of persistent absentees
enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	Percentage of persistent absentees
num_schools	Number of schools
school_type	School type - Filter by school type
sess_auth_appointments	Number of medical appointments sessions
sess_auth_excluded	Number of excluded sessions
sess_auth_ext_holiday	Number of extended authorised holiday sessions
sess_auth_holiday	Number of authorised holiday sessions
sess_auth_illness	Number of illness sessions
sess_auth_other	Number of authorised other sessions
sess_auth_religious	Number of religious observance sessions
sess_auth_study	Number of study leave sessions
sess_auth_totalreasons	Number of authorised reasons sessions
sess_auth_traveller	Number of traveller sessions
sess_authorised	Number of authorised absence sessions
sess_authorised_pa_10_exact	Number of authorised absence sessions of persistent absentees
sess_authorised_percent	Authorised absence rate
sess_authorised_percent_pa_10_exact	Authorised absence rate of persistent absentees
sess_overall	Number of overall absence sessions
sess_overall_pa_10_exact	Number of overall absence sessions of persistent absentees
sess_overall_percent	Overall absence rate
sess_overall_percent_pa_10_exact	Overall absence rate of persistent absentees
sess_overall_totalreasons	Number of overall reasons sessions
sess_possible	Number of sessions possible
sess_possible_pa_10_exact	Number of sessions possible of persistent absentees
sess_unauth_holiday	Number of unauthorised holiday sessions
sess_unauth_late	Number of late sessions
sess_unauth_noyet	Number of no reason yet sessions
sess_unauth_other	Number of unauthorised other sessions
sess_unauth_totalreasons	Number of unauthorised reasons sessions
sess_unauthorised	Number of unauthorised absence sessions
sess_unauthorised_pa_10_exact	Number of unauthorised absence sessions of persistent absentees
sess_unauthorised_percent	Unauthorised absence rate
sess_unauthorised_percent_pa_10_exact	Unauthorised absence rate of persistent absentees

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Footnotes

1. The definition of persistent absence changed from the 2015/16 academic year - The information presented for years prior to 2015/16 has been produced using the same methodology in order to allow users to make comparisons on a consistent basis over time.
2. The percentage of persistent absentees is the number of persistent absentees expressed as a percentage of the total number of enrolments.
3. Special schools include maintained special schools, non-maintained special schools and special academies. Excludes general hospital schools, independent special schools and independent schools approved for SEN pupils.
4. State-funded primary schools include all primary academies, including free schools.
5. Number of enrolments includes pupils on the school roll for at least one session who are aged between 5 and 15, excluding boarders. Some pupils may be counted more than once (if they moved schools during the academic year or are registered in more than one school).
6. Absence rates are the number of absence sessions expressed as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions.
7. State-funded secondary schools include city technology colleges and all secondary academies, including all-through academies and free schools.
8. Includes all schools with at least six enrolments who reported absence information via the school census for the associated academic year.
9. Pupil enrolments missing 10 percent or more of their own possible sessions (due to authorised or unauthorised absence) are classified as persistent absentees.

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Using this data

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Download this data using code

Access this data using common programming languages using the URL below.

Example code

Python

import pandas as pd

pd.read_csv("https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/097fd311-d368-4a12-ac38-45efab3f3f95/csv")

R

read.csv("https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/097fd311-d368-4a12-ac38-45efab3f3f95/csv")

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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Absence by geography statistics and data:

Attendance and exclusions statistics team

Email: schools.statistics@education.gov.uk
Contact name: Attendance and exclusions statistics team

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