Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

06 - Absence rates by pupil characteristic

Not the latest data

Published 24 March 2022

Last updated 24 March 2022

Absence information for the full academic year, by pupil characteristics including SEN, FSM, language, year group, gender and ethnicity for England.

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: Pupil absence in schools in England
• Release: Academic year 2020/21
• Number of rows: 344,316
• Geographic levels: Local authority, National, Regional
• Indicators:
  • Authorised absence rate
  • Authorised absence rate exact
  • Number of authorised absence sessions
  • Number of authorised absence sessions for 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 for persistent absentees
  • Number of overall reasons sessions
  • Number of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
  • Number of persistent absentees (50% or more missed)
  • Number of pupil enrolments
  • Number of religious observance sessions
  • Number of sessions possible
  • Number of sessions possible for persistent absentees
  • Number of sessions recorded as exceptional circumstances
  • Number of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
  • Number of study leave sessions
  • Number of traveller sessions
  • Number of unauthorised absence sessions
  • Number of unauthorised absence sessions for persistent absentees
  • Number of unauthorised holiday sessions
  • Number of unauthorised other sessions
  • Number of unauthorised reasons sessions
  • Overall absence rate
  • Overall absence rate exact
  • Percentage of persistent absentees (10% or more missed)
  • Percentage of persistent absentees (50% or more missed)
  • Rate of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
  • Unauthorised absence rate
  • Unauthorised absence rate exact
• Filters:
  • Characteristic
  • School type
• Time period: 2012/13 to 2020/21

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Data set preview

Table showing first 5 rows, from underlying data

time_identifier	absence_terms	time_period	geographic_level	country_code	country_name	region_code	region_name	old_la_code	new_la_code	la_name	school_type	characteristic	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	enrolments_pa_50_exact	enrolments_pa_50_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	sess_x_covid	sess_y_exceptional	sess_x_covid_rate
Academic year	Six half terms	202021	National	E92000001	England						State-funded primary	Gender male	2015643	720147583	27092699	20346698	6746001	3.7621	2.82535	0.93675	186307	9.24306	15584	0.773152785	58799644	11357554	7674540	3683014	19.31568	13.05202	6.26367	12470961	1091395	661306	575	86987	175055	z	139005	5270430	19895714	1348006	447431	4536247	288410	6620094	26515808	133441347	2966607	18.52972226
Academic year	Six half terms	202021	National	E92000001	England						State-funded primary	FSM Not eligible	3045076	1103558222	32433981	25565151	6868830	2.93904	2.31661	0.62243	167173	5.48995	8703	0.285805674	55189465	9982091	7015242	2966849	18.08695	12.7112	5.37575	16810205	1426009	920664	856	110648	275697	z	71425	5365175	24980679	1972145	357987	4100752	303704	6734588	31715267	203833696	4410372	18.47058831
Academic year	Six half terms	202021	National	E92000001	England						Total	FSM unclassified	57929	1413038	365192	163691	201501	25.84446	11.58433	14.26013	30550	52.73697	19037	32.8626422	695360	350803	153873	196930	50.44912	22.12854	28.32058	53978	2870	684	199	1536	201	z	3489	99308	162265	6192	1526	178108	14097	199923	362188	135154	11572	9.564781697
Academic year	Six half terms	202021	National	E92000001	England						State-funded primary	FSM not eligible in last 6 years	2885714	1048120478	29628559	23621743	6006816	2.82683	2.25372	0.5731	146576	5.07937	7772	0.269326759	48463716	8602908	6175307	2427601	17.75123	12.74212	5.00911	15618992	1337132	843272	786	97497	263014	z	59947	4857414	23078054	1831238	309681	3482270	263063	5886252	28964306	193357752	4158042	18.44804639
Academic year	Six half terms	202021	National	E92000001	England						Total	FSM unclassified in last 6 years	82980	8088701	1380309	606935	773374	17.06466	7.50349	9.56116	37672	45.39889	18333	22.09327549	2957422	1228500	492791	735709	41.53956	16.66286	24.8767	272569	19059	24049	1632	16047	3820	z	23925	238206	599307	69926	7567	652621	36417	766531	1365838	802592	44194	9.922384324

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Variables in this data set

Table showing all 40 variables

Variable name	Variable description
characteristic	Characteristic - Filter by characteristic
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 persistent absentees (50% or more missed)
enrolments_pa_50_exact_percent	Percentage of persistent absentees (50% or more missed)
school_type	School type - Filter by school type - Total includes primary, secondary and special
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 for persistent absentees
sess_authorised_percent	Authorised absence rate
sess_authorised_percent_pa_10_exact	Authorised absence rate exact
sess_overall	Number of overall absence sessions
sess_overall_pa_10_exact	Number of overall absence sessions for persistent absentees
sess_overall_percent	Overall absence rate
sess_overall_percent_pa_10_exact	Overall absence rate exact
sess_overall_totalreasons	Number of overall reasons sessions
sess_possible	Number of sessions possible
sess_possible_pa_10_exact	Number of sessions possible for 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 for persistent absentees
sess_unauthorised_percent	Unauthorised absence rate
sess_unauthorised_percent_pa_10_exact	Unauthorised absence rate exact
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. Total includes state-funded primary, secondary and special schools. Data for special schools is available from 2016/17 to present.
2. Sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances are included as possible sessions in 2020/21 only, but not as an absence within absence rates.

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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about 06 - Absence rates by pupil characteristic 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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