Data set from Pupil absence in schools in England

Absence rates by characteristic and local authority district

Not the latest data

Published 21 March 2024

Last updated 21 March 2024

Absence information by local authority district. Includes FSM eligible and FSM6 eligible breakdowns.

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Data set details

• Theme: Pupils and schools
• Publication: Pupil absence in schools in England
• Release: Academic year 2022/23
• Number of rows: 33,786
• Geographic levels: Local authority district
• 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 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
  • 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
  • Rate of sessions recorded as not attending due to COVID circumstances
  • Unauthorised absence rate
  • Unauthorised absence rate exact
• Filters:
  • Characteristic
  • School type
• Time period: 2018/19 to 2022/23

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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	la_code	lad_code	lad_name	school_type	characteristic_group	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	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_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	202223	Local authority district	E92000001	England	z	Outside of England and unknown	z	z	Outside of England and unknown	Total	FSM	FSM Not eligible	1573	541970	29930	23190	6740	5.52245	4.27883	1.24361	196	12.46027	64056	13039	9247	3792	20.35563	14.43581	5.91982	17647	1733	209	0	0	204	388	3009	23190	1439	77	4681	543	6740	29930	0	20656	0
Academic year	Six half terms	202223	Local authority district	E92000001	England	z	Outside of England and unknown	z	z	Outside of England and unknown	Total	FSM ever 6	FSM unclassified in last 6 years	28	3224	414	167	247	12.84119	5.1799	7.66129	10	35.71429	775	328	93	235	42.32258	12	30.32258	129	13	5	0	0	0	4	16	167	6	0	221	20	247	414	0	95	0
Academic year	Six half terms	202223	Local authority district	E92000001	England	z	Outside of England and unknown	z	z	Outside of England and unknown	Total	FSM ever 6	FSM not eligible in last 6 years	1518	526299	27783	22072	5711	5.27894	4.19381	1.08512	176	11.5942	58088	11221	8391	2830	19.31724	14.44532	4.87192	16931	1654	200	0	0	194	372	2721	22072	1385	74	4121	131	5711	27783	0	20044	0
Academic year	Six half terms	202223	Local authority district	E92000001	England	z	Outside of England and unknown	z	z	Outside of England and unknown	Total	FSM	FSM unclassified	14	532	98	18	80	18.42105	3.38346	15.03759	6	42.85714	148	89	11	78	60.13514	7.43243	52.7027	13	1	0	0	0	0	0	4	18	0	0	78	2	80	98	0	0	0
Academic year	Six half terms	202223	Local authority district	E92000001	England	z	Outside of England and unknown	z	z	Outside of England and unknown	Total	FSM	FSM eligible	378	127916	13723	8176	5547	10.72813	6.39169	4.33644	134	35.44974	43179	9859	5588	4271	22.83286	12.94148	9.89138	5869	509	122	0	0	95	244	1337	8176	461	148	4747	191	5547	13723	0	4620	0

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Variables in this data set

Table showing all 37 variables

Variable name	Variable description
characteristic	Characteristic - Filter by pupil characteristic
enrolments	Number of pupil enrolments
enrolments_pa_10_exact	Number of persistent absentees
enrolments_pa_10_exact_percent	Percentage of persistent absentees
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_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 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 rates by characteristic and local authority district 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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