Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

Absence by pupil characteristics - termly

Not the latest data

Published 26 March 2026

Last updated 26 March 2026

Termly absence information by pupil characteristics including SEN, FSM eligibility, language, year group, sex and ethnicity.

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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: 3,817
• Geographic levels: National
• Indicators:
  • Overall absence rate
  • Percentage of persistent absentees (10% or more sessions missed)
  • Percentage of severe absentees (50% or more sessions 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 sessions missed)
  • Number of severe absentees (50% or more sessions missed)
  • Overall absence rate for persistent absentees
  • Authorised absence rate for persistent absentees
  • Unauthorised absence rate for persistent absentees
  • Number of overall absence sessions for persistent absentees
  • Number of sessions possible for persistent absentees
  • Number of authorised absence sessions for persistent absentees
  • Number of unauthorised 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 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
  • Rate of authorised holiday sessions
  • Rate of authorised other sessions
  • Rate of authorised reasons sessions
  • Rate of excluded sessions
  • Rate of illness sessions
  • Rate of interview sessions
  • Rate of late sessions
  • Rate of medical appointments sessions
  • Rate of regulated performance sessions
  • Rate of religious observance sessions
  • Rate of study leave sessions
  • Rate of temporary reduced timetable sessions
  • Rate of traveller sessions
  • Rate of unauthorised holiday sessions
  • Rate of unauthorised other sessions
  • Rate of unauthorised reasons sessions
  • Rate of no reason yet sessions
  • Rate of overall reasons sessions
  • Number of sessions recorded as exceptional circumstances
  • Number of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
  • Number of sessions unable to attend because of access arrangements
  • Rate of sessions recorded as exceptional circumstances
  • Rate of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
• Filters:
  • Characteristic
  • Characteristics group
  • School type
• Time period: 2018/19 Autumn term to 2024/25 Summer term

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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	education_phase	breakdown_topic	breakdown	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_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_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	sess_y_exceptional_rate
202324	Spring term	National	E92000001	England	Special	Ethnicity Minor	Pakistani	5643	585004	85632	69231	16401	14.63785	11.83428	2.80357	2405	42.61917	248579	72655	57844	14811	29.22813271	23.26986592	5.958266788	x	x	47433	7656	118	0	9	1943	211	z	z	z	11848	69218	4162	2534	9412	293	16401	85619	z	4371	z	8.108149688	1.308709	0.020170802	0	0.001538451	0.332134481	0.036068129	z	z	z	2.025285297	11.83205585	0.711448127	0.433159431	1.608877888	0.050085128	2.803570574	14.63562642	z	0.747174378
202324	Spring term	National	E92000001	England	State-funded secondary	Ethnicity Minor	Irish traveller	1373	140663	31724	12829	18895	22.55319	9.12038	13.43281	806	58.70357	81208	29359	11101	18258	36.15284208	13.66983548	22.4830066	x	x	6564	616	12	3	611	28	1427	z	z	z	3568	12829	485	749	17008	653	18895	31724	z	491	z	4.666472349	0.437926107	0.008531028	0.002132757	0.434371512	0.019905732	1.01448142	z	z	z	2.53655901	9.120379915	0.344795717	0.532478335	12.09131044	0.46423011	13.4328146	22.55319451	z	0.349061231
202324	Spring term	National	E92000001	England	Special	Ethnicity Minor	White and Asian	1773	187194	22913	18198	4715	12.24024	9.72147	2.51878	611	34.46136	63986	18764	14411	4353	29.32516488	22.52211421	6.803050667	x	x	11249	1832	16	0	0	433	221	z	z	z	4382	18133	337	437	3727	121	4622	22755	z	977	z	6.009273802	0.978663846	0.008547282	0	0	0.231310833	0.11805934	z	z	z	2.340886994	9.686742096	0.180027138	0.233447653	1.990982617	0.064638824	2.469096232	12.15583833	z	0.521918438
202324	Spring term	National	E92000001	England	State-funded secondary	Ethnicity Minor	White and Black African	30075	3170728	286028	165351	120677	9.02089	5.21492	3.80597	7799	25.93184	805877	210709	105748	104961	26.14654594	13.12210176	13.02444418	x	x	121453	11096	98	238	4	691	11350	z	z	z	20189	165119	5150	12017	101116	2287	120570	285689	z	9087	z	3.830445248	0.349951178	0.003090773	0.007506163	0.000126154	0.021793102	0.357961957	z	z	z	0.636730744	5.20760532	0.162423267	0.378998135	3.189046806	0.072128546	3.802596754	9.010202073	z	0.286590335
202324	Spring term	National	E92000001	England	Special	Ethnicity Minor	English / Welsh / Scottish / Northern Irish / British	91455	9661986	1306793	978728	328065	13.5251	10.12968	3.39542	33683	36.83014	3533211	1094983	787469	307514	30.9911579	22.28763015	8.703527754	x	x	558140	93049	35	261	178	11981	18800	z	z	z	288504	970948	11920	16983	288770	7389	325062	1296010	z	57262	z	5.776659167	0.963042174	0.000362244	0.002701308	0.001842271	0.124001422	0.194576974	z	z	z	2.985969965	10.04915553	0.123370081	0.175771317	2.988723022	0.076474961	3.364339381	13.41349491	z	0.592652484

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Variables in this data set

Table showing all 63 variables

Variable name	Variable description
breakdown	Characteristic - Filter by pupil characteristic
breakdown_topic	Characteristics group
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 sessions missed)
enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	Percentage of persistent absentees (10% or more sessions missed)
enrolments_pa_50_exact	Number of severe absentees (50% or more sessions missed)
enrolments_pa_50_exact_percent	Percentage of severe absentees (50% or more sessions missed)
sess_auth_appointments	Number of medical appointments sessions
sess_auth_appointments_rate	Rate of medical appointments sessions
sess_auth_excluded	Number of excluded sessions
sess_auth_excluded_rate	Rate of excluded sessions
sess_auth_holiday	Number of authorised holiday sessions
sess_auth_holiday_rate	Rate of authorised holiday sessions
sess_auth_illness	Number of illness sessions
sess_auth_illness_rate	Rate of illness sessions
sess_auth_interview	Number of interview sessions
sess_auth_interview_rate	Rate of interview sessions
sess_auth_other	Number of authorised other sessions
sess_auth_other_rate	Rate of authorised other sessions
sess_auth_reg_performance	Number of regulated performance sessions
sess_auth_reg_performance_rate	Rate of regulated performance sessions
sess_auth_religious	Number of religious observance sessions
sess_auth_religious_rate	Rate of religious observance sessions
sess_auth_study	Number of study leave sessions
sess_auth_study_rate	Rate of study leave sessions
sess_auth_temp_reduced_timetable	Number of temporary reduced timetable sessions
sess_auth_temp_reduced_timetable_rate	Rate of temporary reduced timetable sessions
sess_auth_totalreasons	Number of authorised reasons sessions
sess_auth_totalreasons_rate	Rate of authorised reasons sessions
sess_auth_traveller	Number of traveller sessions
sess_auth_traveller_rate	Rate 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 for persistent absentees
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 for persistent absentees
sess_overall_totalreasons	Number of overall reasons sessions
sess_overall_totalreasons_rate	Rate of overall reasons sessions
sess_possible	Number of sessions possible
sess_possible_pa_10_exact	Number of sessions possible for persistent absentees
sess_q_la_arrangements	Number of sessions unable to attend because of access arrangements
sess_unauth_holiday	Number of unauthorised holiday sessions
sess_unauth_holiday_rate	Rate of unauthorised holiday sessions
sess_unauth_late	Number of late sessions
sess_unauth_late_rate	Rate of late sessions
sess_unauth_noyet	Number of no reason yet sessions
sess_unauth_noyet_rate	Rate of no reason yet sessions
sess_unauth_other	Number of unauthorised other sessions
sess_unauth_other_rate	Rate of unauthorised other sessions
sess_unauth_totalreasons	Number of unauthorised reasons sessions
sess_unauth_totalreasons_rate	Rate 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 for persistent absentees
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
sess_y_exceptional_rate	Rate of sessions recorded as exceptional circumstances

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Footnotes

1. Total includes state-funded primary, state-funded secondary and special schools.
2. 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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Contact us

If you have a specific enquiry about Absence by pupil characteristics - termly 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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