Why Are 1.5 Million Children In England Failing To Attend School?

How many children do not attend school in England?

According to the Department for Education^[1], the number of children aged between three and 16 years old who should be in education is:

• 4,510,374 (Nursery and primary)
• 3,244,230 (Secondary)
• 7,754,604 (Total)

In February 2024, 20.53% of this number failed to attend school on a regular basis.^[2] In addition, there are at least another 5,000 who attend school on an irregular basis, arriving late or going home early. The number of persistent absences has soared by 133% since the pandemic, with no sign of positive changes.

Driving around town, visiting shops and other public spaces during the school day, you will see a significant number of children not in school. Some will be with their parents; others will have taken themselves out of their homes to meet up with their friends or participate in undesirable activities. I have witnessed this in Plymouth, where persistent absence in secondary schools (less than 90% attendance) has increased to as much as 40.97%.^[3]

Every day counts – Why attending school is important for all children

Research issued in May 2023^[4] is clear in its summary of persistent absence’s impact on learning outcomes:

90% of attendance is ‘of concern’. This is 19 days of absence, meaning 3 weeks and four days of learning missed and less chance of success.

85% of attendance is ‘very concerning’. This is 20 days of absence, meaning 5 weeks and three days of learning missed (almost half a term), with serious implications for learning and progress.

80% of attendance is ‘extremely concerning’. This is 38 days of absence, meaning 7 weeks and three days of learning missed, or half a term’s worth of learning.

Who is responsible?

A recent report to presented to the House of Commons on 12 February 2024^[5] reiterates parent responsibility to ensure that their child attends full-time education.^[6] The exceptions to this rule are those who elect to be home-educated or those who are suspended by the school, multi-academy trust or local authority (the numbers for both are increasing^[7].

Permanent exclusion numbers have increased compared to previous terms. During the autumn term 2022/23, there were 3,100 permanent exclusions, up from 2,100 in autumn 2021/22. Suspensions have also increased, with 247,400 suspensions in the autumn term 2022/23, up from 183,800 year on year.

The rate of suspensions was 2.96%, equivalent to 296 suspensions for every 10,000 pupils. The most commonly cited reason for suspensions and permanent exclusions was persistent disruptive behaviour, which accounted for 55% of all suspensions and 49% of all permanent exclusions in the autumn term 2022/23.

Why do children fail to attend school?

Children have a legitimate reason not to attend school if:

• they are ill
• they are attending a doctor or hospital appointment
• they are going to a meeting about a children’s hearing or court
• they are involved in an activity and the school agrees to their absence in advance
• someone close to them has died
• there is a crisis or serious difficulty at home or in the family
• they are going to a religious ceremony or a wedding of someone very close to them
• they are in a Traveller family and they stay connected with their teacher whilst travelling
• their family is returning to a country of origin for cultural reasons or to take care of a relative

The Special Educational Needs question

The number of children identified with Special Educational Needs^[8] not attending school remains stubbornly high – Education, Health and Care Plans (EHCP) and SEN Support remain at 34.7% and 29.9% respectively compared to 18.2% of children with no identified SEN were persistently absent over the same period.

Born to Fail?

Research over the last 70 years^[9] has identified three main reasons as to why children choose not to attend school:

1. Housing – poverty has a significant impact on housing, which in turn impacts on attendance^[10]
2. The Curriculum – what we teach and how we assess continues to have a negative impact on school attendance^[11]
3. Caring – all children need to have a sense of belonging in school^[12]

The solution: mutuality and inclusion

Mutuality happens when, instead of thinking about helping children escape the constraints of their class and making judgements about what people from disadvantaged communities need to change, we focus on providing equality. This allows people to have their voice heard in the conversation about what happens next, to have a role to play, to value their class and background identities, and to own their own change. When we do this, everyone in society benefits.

The truly included child:

• attends regular classroom lessons;
• participates in all activities offered to other students;
• is accepted by the rest of the school community;
• achieves in all learning domains;
• has a strong sense of belonging and feels happy to be part of the school community.

How do schools ensure mutuality and inclusion?

All parents and carers are considered to be partners in their child’s education, regardless of their background, challenge or need. Leaders and teachers are trained and supported to be non-judgemental and schools are encouraged to embrace structured conversations, which evidence has proven to create better life chances for children and young people.^[13]

Impact: improved attendance in schools

A case study published in ‘Teaching and Learning to Unlock Social Mobility in Every Child: Building Better Futures’ (Blandford and Burkey, 2023⁽¹⁴⁾ illustrates how a secondary school in the Southeast of England improved attendance, reducing persistent absence in Year 7 by 50%. Detailed tracking, partnership with local authority support teams and increased parent/carer engagement through structured conversations had a significant impact on pupil attainment, participation and expectations.

What next? Government priorities

If school attendance is to improve, central and local governments should prioritise engagement with parents and carers as partners in the education of all children. Shared ownership of the attendance issue without punishment or blame will lead to constructive solutions in every school. Revisiting structured conversations with appropriate training for all staff on how to engage parents and carers in their child’s education is an appropriate starting point.

1. National pupil projections, Reporting year 2023 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education- statistics.service.gov.uk)
2. Pupil attendance in schools, Week 6 2024 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education- statistics.service.gov.uk)
3. Blandford, S., Casson, W., Gibson, S., Munn, G., Shute, J. (2023) Plymouth Place-Based School Improvement Evaluation Report. Plymouth City Council, unpublished.
4. Why is school attendance so important and what are the risks of missing a day? – The Education Hub (blog.gov.uk)
5. School attendance in England – House of Commons Library (parliament.uk)
6. Education Act 1996 (legislation.gov.uk)
7. Suspensions and permanent exclusions in England, Autumn term 2022/23 – Explore education statistics – GOV.UK (explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk)
8. New figures reveal drop in number of school absences, but attendance must remain top priority | Children’s Commissioner for England (childrenscommissioner.gov.uk)
9. Blandford, S, (2017) Born to Fail? A Working Class View. Woodbridge: John Catt Educational Ltd.
10. Poor housing a growing barrier to school attendance in England, charity reveals | Sacpa
11. An urgent national crisis: The number of children missing school soars | UK News | Sky News
12. ‘The new epidemic’: Why more pupils are missing school (schoolsweek.co.uk)
13. Achievement for All, Social Impact Assessment Report | CYP Now
14. Blandford, S. and Burkey, S. (2023) Teaching and Learning to Unlock Social Mobility in Every Child: Building Better Futures. London: Routledge, Tylor and Francis Group.