Before the pandemic, the persistent absence rate sat at between 10 to 13 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Attendance gap grows<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This year, almost two in five disadvantaged pupils (37.9 per cent) were persistently absent – which has actually worsened from 37.2 per cent last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This is also more than double the rate for their better-off peers – whose persistent absence rates have instead dropped from 17.5 per cent to 16.7 per cent in the same timeframe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It means the disadvantage gap in attendance has widened by 6.7 percentage points, rising from 14.5 per cent in pre-pandemic 2018-19 to 21.2 per cent this year. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This year, persistent absence was highest in special schools (38.7 per cent), followed by secondary (28.3 per cent) and primary (17.2 per cent). <\/p>\n\n\n\n The overall absence rates for 2022-23 was 7.5 per cent, a drop of just 0.1 per cent. <\/p>\n\n\n\n The absence rate has risen for school pupils with an education, health and care plan, from 12.1 per cent to 13.3 per cent this year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n DfE said illness absence – which includes a positive Covid case – remained higher than pre-pandemic levels, at 3.7 per cent during spring and 3 per cent during the summer term. This was previously about 2.5 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Authorised absence rates were 5 per cent, down from 5.5 per cent last year. However, unauthorised absences have risen slightly from 2.1 per cent to 2.5 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Tackling absenteeism has been high on ministers’ agendas, but they have faced criticism over the scale of interventions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/08\/Persistent-absence-FSM-bar-chart-800px.jpg\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n‘We all have to play our part to fill classrooms’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n