{"id":227104,"date":"2025-03-17T00:01:00","date_gmt":"2025-03-17T00:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=227104"},"modified":"2025-03-17T11:58:09","modified_gmt":"2025-03-17T11:58:09","slug":"poorer-pupils-higher-absences-entirely-explain-growth-in-attainment-gap","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/poorer-pupils-higher-absences-entirely-explain-growth-in-attainment-gap\/","title":{"rendered":"Poorer pupils’ higher absences ‘entirely explain’ growth in attainment gap"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

The growth in the attainment gap between poorer 16-year-olds and their better-off peers between 2019 and 2023 can be \u201centirely explained\u201d by higher absences<\/a> for disadvantaged pupils, new research suggests.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A report by the Education Policy Institute<\/a> found absences were a \u201ckey, and growing, driver of the disadvantage gap\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The think tank said its report was the \u201cfirst to quantify the role of pupil absence as a driver of the disadvantage gap and how this changed since 2019\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Had poorer pupils had the same level of absence as their peers in 2023, the attainment gap \u201cwould have been almost one month smaller at age 11 and over four months smaller at age 16\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2023, poorer year 11 pupils were 19.2 months behind their peers, up 0.5 months since 2019.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also found that at all key stages, at least half of the attainment gap is explained by gaps that open at an early age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘Disturbing’<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Natalie Perera, the EPI\u2019s chief executive, said the report\u2019s findings were \u201cdisturbing\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday’s report casts a harsh light on the impact of under-investment in education and wider children’s services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Natalie
Natalie Perera<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA lack of early intervention and the inability of many families to access adequate SEND and mental health support for their children have led to an unacceptable and unnecessary widening of inequalities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chris Paterson, co-CEO at the Education Endowment Foundation, said the report \u201cacts as a stark reminder of the significant barriers faced by many disadvantaged pupils.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOur own research has found that three-quarters of schools identified poor attendance as the biggest challenge to disadvantaged pupils\u2019 attainment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToday\u2019s findings reinforce just how deeply poor attendance is contributing to the attainment gap, making it even harder for disadvantaged pupils to reach their full potential.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pupils ‘already 4.6 months behind’ when starting school<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The report examined changes in the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers between 2019 and 2023. It used the national pupil database, and looked at the attainment of pupils based on different characteristics and absence rates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It found disadvantaged children were already 4.6 months behind when starting school. The EPI said poverty was the main reason for this inequality.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is not just a story of post-pandemic spikes in illness absence. It is unauthorised absence that is of key concern, particularly at secondary school,\u201d said the report.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout an effective strategy for tackling pupil absence, policymakers\u2019 efforts to narrow the disadvantage gap will be limited.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Almost 60 per cent of disadvantage gaps among 11-year-olds had already emerged by the time the pupils were seven, the EPI said. The gap then widened by 0.5 months at age 16 between 2019 and 2023.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Absences \u201caccount for the entire increase in the gap since 2019\u201d and may be symptomatic of other factors, such as declining mental health.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gender gaps narrow<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Gender gaps at GCSE have narrowed by 3.2 months, with boys substantially narrowing the gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The EPI said while this was positive it also reflected the \u201cslower progress\u201d girls make during secondary school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report recommended increasing the early years pupil premium to match pupil premiums in later schools year, prioritising training in child development, and absence strategies to include improved SEND support.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The report also recommended a pupil premium for students aged 16 to 19 to help address the \u201ccliff-edge\u201d in funding for disadvantaged students.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also backed calls to introduce auto-enrolment for free school meals, re-introduce targets to reduce child poverty and abolish the two child limit benefit cap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Daniel Kebede, general secretary of the National Education Union, said the report\u2019s findings were \u201cno surprise\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe welcome the government\u2019s commitments to improving attendance and reducing the attainment gap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHowever, this will only be possible if it addresses the fundamental issues of child poverty and SEND as well as curriculum, assessment and accountability reform, and significantly increase school funding.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pepe Di\u2019Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, warned improving attendance \u201ccannot be the sole responsibility of schools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cToo often, the burden of ensuring children attend school falls entirely on teachers and leaders, who are then held accountable for absences beyond their control.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout a broader system of support, it is extremely difficult for schools to drive meaningful change in attendance rates.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A spokesperson for the Department of Education said: \u201cThis government inherited a system with a number of baked-in inequalities, and this report is further evidence that the absence epidemic is having a detrimental impact on children\u2019s learning and their future success.\u00a0Getting more pupils attending school regularly is a top priority for the government.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThrough our Plan for Change we are focused on tackling the root causes of absence. This includes supporting disadvantaged pupils to achieve and thrive by establishing free breakfast clubs in every primary school, providing mental health support in every secondary school and driving up standards through our new regional improvement teams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCombined, these measures will ensure every child gets the best life chances, no matter their background.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disadvantage gap would be four months smaller at age 16 if absence rates between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils were similar<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":314924,"featured_media":136016,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1576],"post-theme":[2524],"class_list":["post-227104","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-attendance","post-theme-attendance"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t