Pupils: Absenteeism
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of persistent pupil absenteeism on educational attainment.
Answered by Olivia Bailey
School attendance is vital for children’s learning, wellbeing and wider development, and is a strong protective factor for all children and young people. Being persistently absent from school significantly harms a child’s chances of future success.
For example, those who have attendance rates between 90% and 95% in their assessment year have 1.6 times higher odds of achieving English and Maths at grade 5 compared to pupils with an attendance of 85% to 90%.
The link between attendance and attainment for children in Key Stage 2 and Key Stage 4 in state-funded mainstream schools can be further seen within a research paper available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/67c96d7dd0fba2f1334cf2ed/The_link_between_attendance_and_attainment_in_an_assessment_year_-_March_2025.pdf.
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