Fewer Pupils Regularly Miss School

New figures published today show that persistent absence is down by almost a third, thanks to the government’s reforms to boost attendance and improve classroom discipline.

The figures for the 2012 to 2013 academic year show:

• 300,895 were persistently absent in 2012 to 2013, down from 433,130 in 2009 to 2010 - a fall of almost a third

• 130,000 fewer pupils were missing 15% of school - equivalent to missing 18 months of a whole school career

• 7.7 million fewer school days were lost to overall absence - 49.3 million days in 2012 to 2013 compared to 57 million days in 2009 to 2010

• overall absence is down from 6% of sessions in 2009 to 2010 to 5.2% of sessions in 2012 to 2013

The evidence shows absence from school has a significant negative effect on attainment. Of pupils who miss between 10% and 20% of school, only 39% achieve at least 5 A* to C GCSEs including English and maths. This compares to 73% of pupils who miss less than 5% of school.

The government has introduced a package of measures to help schools ensure more children attend class, and to give heads and teachers greater powers to tackle bad behaviour.

(CD)