Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

Absence rates by school level

Not the latest data

Published 26 March 2026

Last updated 26 March 2026

School level absence information for full academic years for all enrolments in state-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools including information on overall absence, persistent absence and reason for absence for pupils aged 5-15.

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: Pupil absence in schools in England
• Release: Academic year 2024/25
• Number of rows: 233,597
• Geographic levels: School
• Indicators:
  • Overall absence rate
  • Percentage of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
  • Number of pupil enrolments
  • Number of sessions possible
  • Number of overall absence sessions
  • Number of authorised absence sessions
  • Number of unauthorised absence sessions
  • Authorised absence rate
  • Unauthorised absence rate
  • Number of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
  • Overall absence rate (persistent absentees only)
  • Authorised absence rate (persistent absentees only)
  • Unauthorised absence rate (persistent absentees only)
  • Number of sessions possible (persistent absentees only)
  • Number of overall absence sessions (persistent absentees only)
  • Number of authorised absence sessions (persistent absentees only)
  • Number of unauthorised absence sessions (persistent absentees only)
  • Percentage of severely absent pupils (50% or more missed)
  • Number of severely absent pupils (50% or more missed)
  • 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 interview sessions
  • Number of late sessions
  • Number of medical appointments sessions
  • Number of regulated performance sessions
  • Number of religious observance sessions
  • Number of study leave sessions
  • Number of temporary reduced timetable sessions
  • Number of traveller sessions
  • Number of unauthorised holiday sessions
  • Number of unauthorised other sessions
  • Number of unauthorised reasons sessions
  • Number of no reason yet sessions
  • Number of overall reasons sessions
  • Authorised holiday rate
  • Authorised other rate
  • Authorised reasons rate
  • Excluded rate
  • Extended authorised holiday rate
  • Illness rate
  • Interview rate
  • Late rate
  • Medical appointments rate
  • Regulated performance rate
  • Religious observance rate
  • Study leave rate
  • Temporary reduced timetable rate
  • Traveller rate
  • Unauthorised holiday rate
  • Unauthorised other rate
  • Unauthorised reasons rate
  • No reason yet rate
  • Overall reasons rate
  • Number of sessions recorded as exceptional circumstances
  • Number of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
  • Number of sessions recorded as unable to attend because of access arrangements
  • Rate of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
• Filters:
  • School type
• Time period: 2013/14 to 2024/25

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Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data

time_period	time_identifier	geographic_level	country_code	country_name	region_code	region_name	old_la_code	new_la_code	la_name	education_phase	school_name	trust_name	estab	school_laestab	school_urn	academy_type	academy_open_date	all_through	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	enrolments_pa_50_exact	enrolments_pa_50_exact_percent	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_interview	sess_auth_reg_performance	sess_auth_temp_reduced_timetable	sess_auth_other	sess_auth_totalreasons	sess_unauth_holiday	sess_unauth_late	sess_unauth_other	sess_unauth_noyet	sess_unauth_totalreasons	sess_overall_totalreasons	sess_x_covid	sess_y_exceptional	sess_q_la_arrangements	sess_auth_illness_rate	sess_auth_appointments_rate	sess_auth_religious_rate	sess_auth_study_rate	sess_auth_traveller_rate	sess_auth_holiday_rate	sess_auth_ext_holiday_rate	sess_auth_excluded_rate	sess_auth_interview_rate	sess_auth_reg_performance_rate	sess_auth_temp_reduced_timetable_rate	sess_auth_other_rate	sess_auth_totalreasons_rate	sess_unauth_holiday_rate	sess_unauth_late_rate	sess_unauth_other_rate	sess_unauth_noyet_rate	sess_unauth_totalreasons_rate	sess_overall_totalreasons_rate	sess_x_covid_rate
202324	Academic year	School	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West	355	E08000006	Salford	State-funded primary	St Andrew's CofE Primary School		3030	3553030	105933				360	134306	5139	3543	1596	3.82634	2.63801	1.18833	29	8.05556	9966	1314	760	554	13.18483	7.62593	5.5589	0	0	2963	253	3	0	0	43	z	0	z	z	z	281	3543	1171	58	367	0	1596	5139	z	0	z	2.206156091	0.188375799	0.002233705	0	0	0.03201644	z	0	z	z	z	0.209223713	2.638005748	0.871889566	0.043184966	0.273256593	0	1.188331124	3.826336873	z
202324	Academic year	School	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West	355	E08000006	Salford	State-funded primary	Christ Church CofE Primary School		3033	3553033	105935				190	66695	4253	2920	1333	6.37679	4.37814	1.99865	35	18.42105	10890	1957	1148	809	17.97062	10.54178	7.42883	2	1.05263	2654	118	27	6	0	0	z	43	z	z	z	72	2920	489	198	644	2	1333	4253	z	6	z	3.979308794	0.176924807	0.040482795	0.008996177	0	0	z	0.064472599	z	z	z	0.107954119	4.378139291	0.733188395	0.296873829	0.965589624	0.002998726	1.998650574	6.376789864	z
202324	Academic year	School	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West	355	E08000006	Salford	State-funded primary	St Edmund's RC Primary School		3806	3553806	135307				279	102278	5498	3688	1810	5.37555	3.60586	1.76969	48	17.2043	17582	2439	1513	926	13.87214	8.60539	5.26675	1	0.35842	3060	230	0	0	116	83	z	0	z	z	z	199	3688	827	326	637	20	1810	5498	z	0	z	2.991845754	0.224877295	0	0	0.113416375	0.081151372	z	0	z	z	z	0.194567747	3.605858542	0.808580535	0.318739123	0.622812335	0.019554547	1.769686541	5.375545083	z
202324	Academic year	School	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West	355	E08000006	Salford	Special	Oakwood Academy	KINGS ACADEMY TRUST	7025	3557025	138130	Special converter academy	01/05/2012		254	91112	7872	4634	3238	8.63992	5.08605	3.55387	74	29.13386	26169	5299	2935	2364	20.24915	11.21556	9.03359	5	1.9685	3405	497	14	4	0	0	z	0	z	z	z	714	4634	898	111	2202	27	3238	7872	z	470	z	3.737158662	0.545482483	0.015365704	0.004390201	0	0	z	0	z	z	z	0.783650891	5.086047941	0.98560014	0.12182808	2.41680569	0.029633857	3.553867767	8.639915708	z
202324	Academic year	School	E92000001	England	E12000002	North West	356	E08000007	Stockport	State-funded primary	Whitehill Primary School		2092	3562092	106084				172	62112	5386	3407	1979	8.67143	5.48525	3.18618	53	30.81395	18898	3609	1976	1633	19.09726	10.45613	8.64113	3	1.74419	2950	233	40	0	0	0	z	0	z	z	z	184	3407	309	104	1566	0	1979	5386	z	0	z	4.749484802	0.3751288	0.064399794	0	0	0	z	0	z	z	z	0.296239052	5.485252447	0.497488408	0.167439464	2.521251932	0	3.186179804	8.671432251	z

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Variables in this data set

Table showing all 62 variables

Variable name	Variable description
education_phase	School type - Filter by school type - Total includes primary, secondary and special
enrolments	Number of pupil enrolments
enrolments_pa_10_exact	Number of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	Percentage of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
enrolments_pa_50_exact	Number of severely absent pupils (50% or more missed)
enrolments_pa_50_exact_percent	Percentage of severely absent pupils (50% or more missed)
sess_auth_appointments	Number of medical appointments sessions
sess_auth_appointments_rate	Medical appointments rate
sess_auth_excluded	Number of excluded sessions
sess_auth_excluded_rate	Excluded rate
sess_auth_ext_holiday	Number of extended authorised holiday sessions
sess_auth_ext_holiday_rate	Extended authorised holiday rate
sess_auth_holiday	Number of authorised holiday sessions
sess_auth_holiday_rate	Authorised holiday rate
sess_auth_illness	Number of illness sessions
sess_auth_illness_rate	Illness rate
sess_auth_interview	Number of interview sessions
sess_auth_interview_rate	Interview rate
sess_auth_other	Number of authorised other sessions
sess_auth_other_rate	Authorised other rate
sess_auth_reg_performance	Number of regulated performance sessions
sess_auth_reg_performance_rate	Regulated performance rate
sess_auth_religious	Number of religious observance sessions
sess_auth_religious_rate	Religious observance rate
sess_auth_study	Number of study leave sessions
sess_auth_study_rate	Study leave rate
sess_auth_temp_reduced_timetable	Number of temporary reduced timetable sessions
sess_auth_temp_reduced_timetable_rate	Temporary reduced timetable rate
sess_auth_totalreasons	Number of authorised reasons sessions
sess_auth_totalreasons_rate	Authorised reasons rate
sess_auth_traveller	Number of traveller sessions
sess_auth_traveller_rate	Traveller rate
sess_authorised	Number of authorised absence sessions
sess_authorised_pa_10_exact	Number of authorised absence sessions (persistent absentees only)
sess_authorised_percent	Authorised absence rate
sess_authorised_percent_pa_10_exact	Authorised absence rate (persistent absentees only)
sess_overall	Number of overall absence sessions
sess_overall_pa_10_exact	Number of overall absence sessions (persistent absentees only)
sess_overall_percent	Overall absence rate
sess_overall_percent_pa_10_exact	Overall absence rate (persistent absentees only)
sess_overall_totalreasons	Number of overall reasons sessions
sess_overall_totalreasons_rate	Overall reasons rate
sess_possible	Number of sessions possible
sess_possible_pa_10_exact	Number of sessions possible (persistent absentees only)
sess_q_la_arrangements	Number of sessions recorded as unable to attend because of access arrangements
sess_unauth_holiday	Number of unauthorised holiday sessions
sess_unauth_holiday_rate	Unauthorised holiday rate
sess_unauth_late	Number of late sessions
sess_unauth_late_rate	Late rate
sess_unauth_noyet	Number of no reason yet sessions
sess_unauth_noyet_rate	No reason yet rate
sess_unauth_other	Number of unauthorised other sessions
sess_unauth_other_rate	Unauthorised other rate
sess_unauth_totalreasons	Number of unauthorised reasons sessions
sess_unauth_totalreasons_rate	Unauthorised reasons rate
sess_unauthorised	Number of unauthorised absence sessions
sess_unauthorised_pa_10_exact	Number of unauthorised absence sessions (persistent absentees only)
sess_unauthorised_percent	Unauthorised absence rate
sess_unauthorised_percent_pa_10_exact	Unauthorised absence rate (persistent absentees only)
sess_x_covid	Number of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
sess_x_covid_rate	Rate of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
sess_y_exceptional	Number of sessions recorded as exceptional circumstances

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Footnotes

1. Sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances are included as possible sessions in 2020/21 and 2021/22 only, but not as an absence within absence rates.

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Python

import pandas as pd

pd.read_csv("https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/889f9166-e3bf-4d3a-afb2-d86e4aecc70a/csv")

R

read.csv("https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/data-catalogue/data-set/889f9166-e3bf-4d3a-afb2-d86e4aecc70a/csv")

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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Absence rates by school level 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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