Absence from school
Published
- 1. Navigate toMain facts and figures section
- 2. Navigate toThings you need to know section
- 3. Navigate to By ethnicity (overall absence) section
- 4. Navigate to By ethnicity and area (overall absence) section
- 5. Navigate to By ethnicity and type of school (overall absence) section
- 6. Navigate to By ethnicity (persistent absence) section
- 7. Navigate to By ethnicity and area (persistent absence) section
- 8. Navigate to By ethnicity and type of school (persistent absence) section
- 9. Navigate toData sources section
- 10. Navigate toDownload the data section
1. Main facts and figures
- in the 2022 to 2023 school year, the overall absence rate was 7.4%
- 21.2% of pupils missed 10% or more of their school sessions – this is known as ‘persistent absence’
- Traveller of Irish heritage and white Gypsy or Roma pupils had the highest rates of overall and persistent absence
- pupils from the Chinese and black African ethnic groups had the lowest rates
Further research
Analysis by The Education Policy Institute highlighted that absence rates for Traveller of Irish heritage and white Gypsy or Roma pupils were high before the COVID-19 pandemic but have increased further. This is mostly due to an increase in unauthorised absences. Similarly, in May 2023 the Department for Education published a study (PDF opens in a new window or tab) which found that white Gypsy or Roma, and Traveller of Irish Heritage pupils were more likely to be associated with persistent absence for unauthorised reasons after controlling for a range of factors.
Research from the Anti-Bullying Alliance (PDF) (PDF opens in a new window or tab) identified particular challenges that Gypsy, Roma and Irish Traveller pupils experience at school, such as racism, stereotyping and bullying. The Anti-Bullying Alliance’s ‘All Together’ programme which supports schools to reduce bullying of Gypsy, Roma and Traveller and other pupils who are bullied, also improved pupils’ well-being and attendance.
In August 2024, the government published statutory guidance on working together to improve school attendance. The guidance states that all trusts and governing bodies should support their schools by paying particular attention to attendance of pupil cohorts that have historically had poor attendance or that face entrenched barriers to attendance. The government has also published information on the type of measures that may be used by schools or local authorities where a child is missing school without good reason. These measures include a parenting order, an education supervision order, a school attendance order and a fine.
2. Things you need to know
What the data measures
The data shows absence rates from state-funded primary, secondary and special schools in England.
Data is based on pupil enrolment records rather than individual pupils. Some pupils may be counted more than once within the total enrolment figure, for example if they:
- moved schools during the school year
- are registered in more than one school
Rates have been rounded to 1 decimal place.
How absence rates are calculated
Overall absence rate:
The total number of absences as a percentage of the total number of possible sessions at school. There are usually 2 sessions in a school day, morning and afternoon. The data includes authorised and unauthorised absences.
Persistent absence rate:
The total number of pupil enrolments who were persistently absent, as a percentage of all pupil enrolments. A pupil is persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of their possible sessions at school.
The ethnic groups used in the data
The data uses the ethnic groups from the 2021 Census with 1 exception:
- Traveller of Irish heritage, and Gypsy and Roma pupils are in 2 separate categories
For local authority data, percentages are shown for 5 ethnic groups as a whole:
- Asian
- black
- mixed
- white
- 'other' ethnic background
This is to make sure that numbers are based on enough pupils to be reliable. Ethnicity was not known for 9% of pupils in the 2022 to 2023 school year.
Methodology
Read the detailed methodology document for the data.
Some of this data is based on very small numbers of pupils. Find out more about how group size affects the reliability of data.
In the data file
Download the data for the total number of pupil enrolments in each local authority.
3. By ethnicity (overall absence)
| Ethnicity | % | Sessions |
|---|---|---|
| All | 7.4 | 185,939,045 |
| Asian | 7.1 | 20,958,236 |
| Bangladeshi | 7.9 | 3,375,083 |
| Chinese | 3.4 | 604,467 |
| Indian | 5.7 | 5,069,590 |
| Pakistani | 8.4 | 9,398,570 |
| Asian other | 6.1 | 3,114,993 |
| Black | 5.4 | 7,848,093 |
| Black African | 4.7 | 4,818,526 |
| Black Caribbean | 7.9 | 1,872,056 |
| Black other | 6.0 | 1,157,511 |
| Mixed | 7.8 | 13,190,751 |
| Mixed white and Asian | 6.9 | 2,809,976 |
| Mixed white and black African | 7.3 | 1,699,928 |
| Mixed white and black Caribbean | 9.7 | 3,885,437 |
| Mixed other | 7.3 | 4,795,410 |
| White | 7.5 | 135,172,721 |
| White British | 7.5 | 119,733,155 |
| Gypsy, Roma | 18.2 | 1,559,111 |
| White Irish | 8.6 | 520,877 |
| Irish traveller | 22.9 | 463,711 |
| White other | 7.2 | 12,895,867 |
| Other | 7.2 | 4,054,687 |
| Unknown | 9.0 | 4,110,090 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (overall absence)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (overall absence)’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school By ethnicity (overall absence) Summary
The data shows that, in the 2022 to 2023 school year:
-
the overall absence rate was 7.4%
-
pupils from the Chinese ethnic group had the lowest overall absence rate, missing 3.4% of their total school sessions
-
pupils from the Traveller of Irish heritage (22.9%) and white Gypsy and Roma (18.2%) ethnic groups had the highest overall absence rates
-
pupils from white British ethnic group missed 7.5% of their total school sessions
4. By ethnicity and area (overall absence)
| Local authority | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Barking and Dagenham | 7.0 | 7.1 | 4.5 | 7.9 | 8.5 | 7.1 | 8.2 |
| Barnet | 6.6 | 6.2 | 6.5 | 7.1 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 7.6 |
| Barnsley | 7.7 | 7.2 | 3.9 | 6.9 | 7.8 | 7.1 | 9.1 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 6.8 | 6.4 | 5.9 | 8.0 | 6.7 | 7.8 | 8.4 |
| Bedford | 7.3 | 8.0 | 5.2 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 7.8 | 9.7 |
| Bexley | 7.0 | 5.7 | 4.3 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 6.7 | 7.8 |
| Birmingham | 8.0 | 8.2 | 6.3 | 8.8 | 8.5 | 7.3 | 9.1 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 7.8 | 7.1 | 4.5 | 8.4 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 10.1 |
| Blackpool | 8.1 | 5.7 | 4.8 | 7.8 | 8.2 | 10.5 | 12.0 |
| Bolton | 6.9 | 6.3 | 3.7 | 7.3 | 7.5 | 6.4 | 7.3 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 7.3 | 6.1 | 4.0 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.2 | 9.5 |
| Bracknell Forest | 6.5 | 5.7 | 4.5 | 6.3 | 6.7 | 5.8 | 6.1 |
| Bradford | 9.1 | 8.9 | 4.6 | 10.5 | 9.4 | 8.5 | 11.5 |
| Brent | 6.6 | 5.8 | 7.0 | 7.3 | 6.8 | 7.3 | 7.8 |
| Brighton and Hove | 7.7 | 7.6 | 6.0 | 7.8 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 9.9 |
| Bristol, City of | 8.6 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 9.7 | 8.4 | 8.9 | 11.9 |
| Bromley | 6.7 | 5.8 | 5.7 | 7.4 | 6.8 | 6.9 | 8.6 |
| Buckinghamshire | 7.2 | 7.6 | 5.8 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Bury | 7.1 | 7.7 | 4.5 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 9.3 |
| Calderdale | 7.3 | 7.9 | 6.2 | 8.4 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 8.5 |
| Cambridgeshire | 7.0 | 6.7 | 5.3 | 6.9 | 7.2 | 5.8 | 8.0 |
| Camden | 8.0 | 9.1 | 7.3 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 8.1 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 7.1 | 7.0 | 5.3 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 6.3 | 9.3 |
| Cheshire East | 6.7 | 6.3 | 4.6 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 7.3 | 8.4 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 7.2 | 6.6 | 6.0 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 9.0 |
| City of London | 5.2 | 6.8 | 5.7 | 4.2 | 3.5 | 4.4 | 3.6 |
| Cornwall | 7.9 | 7.2 | 5.8 | 7.8 | 7.9 | 9.4 | 8.9 |
| County Durham | 7.9 | 6.2 | 3.7 | 6.9 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 9.4 |
| Coventry | 7.7 | 6.7 | 4.3 | 8.6 | 9.0 | 6.9 | 8.5 |
| Croydon | 7.4 | 7.3 | 6.2 | 8.4 | 7.8 | 7.7 | 8.8 |
| Cumbria | 7.5 | 7.0 | 3.9 | 7.0 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 10.0 |
| Darlington | 7.3 | 6.7 | 2.9 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 9.8 |
| Derby | 7.6 | 7.1 | 4.5 | 8.5 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 9.2 |
| Derbyshire | 7.2 | 6.2 | 4.6 | 7.5 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 9.8 |
| Devon | 7.7 | 6.5 | 4.8 | 7.9 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 9.0 |
| Doncaster | 7.7 | 6.8 | 3.5 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 7.3 | 10.1 |
| Dorset | 7.7 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 7.2 | 7.7 | 7.2 | 9.6 |
| Dudley | 7.7 | 7.8 | 5.2 | 8.8 | 7.6 | 7.2 | 10.3 |
| Ealing | 6.8 | 6.5 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 7.1 | 7.8 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 6.9 | 6.6 | 4.9 | 6.9 | 6.8 | 6.7 | 8.7 |
| East Sussex | 8.2 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 8.3 | 8.2 | 8.1 | 10.4 |
| Enfield | 7.2 | 6.8 | 6.1 | 7.3 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 8.2 |
| Essex | 7.2 | 6.3 | 4.3 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 8.5 |
| Gateshead | 7.6 | 7.1 | 3.1 | 6.1 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 9.0 |
| Gloucestershire | 7.2 | 6.7 | 5.2 | 7.9 | 7.3 | 9.4 | 7.5 |
| Greenwich | 6.8 | 6.2 | 4.8 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 6.6 | 7.6 |
| Hackney | 6.9 | 7.6 | 5.9 | 8.1 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 7.3 |
| Halton | 7.8 | 5.3 | 5.6 | 7.3 | 7.8 | 5.8 | 8.7 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 7.7 | 8.2 |
| Hampshire | 7.0 | 5.6 | 4.3 | 6.9 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 8.1 |
| Haringey | 7.1 | 7.5 | 6.5 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 8.0 | 9.4 |
| Harrow | 6.8 | 6.0 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 7.4 | 8.5 | 8.2 |
| Hartlepool | 8.1 | 7.1 | 4.5 | 6.1 | 8.3 | 6.5 | 7.4 |
| Havering | 6.6 | 6.6 | 4.6 | 7.3 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Herefordshire, County of | 7.0 | 7.2 | 4.2 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.2 |
| Hertfordshire | 7.0 | 6.5 | 4.9 | 7.4 | 7.1 | 6.9 | 8.4 |
| Hillingdon | 7.4 | 6.4 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 8.4 | 7.2 | 8.2 |
| Hounslow | 7.2 | 6.7 | 6.7 | 7.7 | 7.7 | 7.1 | 8.0 |
| Isle of Wight | 8.0 | 8.1 | 4.1 | 8.9 | 8.0 | 6.7 | 10.6 |
| Isles of Scilly | 6.5 | NA | NA | 6.7 | 6.6 | NA | 2.6 |
| Islington | 7.9 | 8.8 | 7.0 | 8.3 | 8.3 | 7.1 | 8.4 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 7.6 | 6.9 | 6.7 | 8.3 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 9.5 |
| Kent | 7.8 | 6.6 | 4.7 | 7.4 | 8.1 | 7.1 | 9.7 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 7.8 | 6.5 | 3.5 | 6.5 | 8.1 | 6.4 | 11.1 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 6.2 | 6.4 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 6.1 | 6.2 | 8.8 |
| Kirklees | 7.2 | 8.0 | 4.6 | 8.3 | 6.8 | 7.6 | 8.8 |
| Knowsley | 8.6 | 6.4 | 4.0 | 8.7 | 8.7 | 6.3 | 10.7 |
| Lambeth | 7.2 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 8.3 | 6.6 | 7.3 | 9.2 |
| Lancashire | 7.1 | 7.5 | 4.2 | 7.5 | 7.0 | 7.7 | 9.8 |
| Leeds | 7.6 | 7.8 | 4.3 | 8.1 | 8.0 | 6.9 | 10.8 |
| Leicester | 7.3 | 6.0 | 5.3 | 8.7 | 9.5 | 6.9 | 7.5 |
| Leicestershire | 6.7 | 5.5 | 4.6 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 8.2 |
| Lewisham | 6.5 | 6.5 | 6.1 | 7.4 | 6.5 | 6.7 | 7.8 |
| Lincolnshire | 7.4 | 6.0 | 4.0 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 10.4 |
| Liverpool | 8.2 | 6.1 | 4.7 | 8.0 | 8.7 | 7.2 | 11.1 |
| Luton | 7.7 | 8.0 | 5.1 | 8.6 | 7.7 | 7.3 | 8.5 |
| Manchester | 7.5 | 7.3 | 4.4 | 8.5 | 9.1 | 6.9 | 8.0 |
| Medway | 7.4 | 6.5 | 3.9 | 7.6 | 7.9 | 6.5 | 9.1 |
| Merton | 6.6 | 6.5 | 5.8 | 7.5 | 6.7 | 5.7 | 7.3 |
| Middlesbrough | 8.8 | 7.1 | 3.4 | 8.7 | 9.5 | 7.4 | 11.8 |
| Milton Keynes | 7.1 | 6.8 | 4.7 | 7.5 | 7.7 | 7.6 | 9.7 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 8.7 | 7.5 | 3.9 | 7.1 | 9.6 | 7.4 | 10.3 |
| Newham | 7.6 | 7.6 | 6.0 | 8.4 | 9.0 | 6.7 | 8.9 |
| Norfolk | 7.8 | 6.4 | 4.5 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.4 | 10.1 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 7.7 | 7.2 | 3.4 | 6.5 | 7.8 | 7.3 | 10.4 |
| North Lincolnshire | 7.4 | 7.0 | 4.3 | 7.4 | 7.4 | 9.9 | 9.1 |
| North Northamptonshire | 7.3 | 6.0 | 4.3 | 7.6 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 8.6 |
| North Somerset | 7.3 | 6.9 | 6.0 | 7.8 | 7.3 | 7.1 | 8.5 |
| North Tyneside | 6.8 | 6.8 | 4.3 | 6.0 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 8.2 |
| North Yorkshire | 7.1 | 7.6 | 4.4 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 7.6 | 10.2 |
| Northumberland | 7.3 | 6.3 | 3.9 | 7.2 | 7.3 | 6.7 | 9.6 |
| Nottingham | 8.0 | 7.2 | 4.6 | 8.8 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 9.2 |
| Nottinghamshire | 7.1 | 6.2 | 4.5 | 7.2 | 7.2 | 7.0 | 9.7 |
| Oldham | 7.8 | 8.1 | 3.9 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 9.0 |
| Oxfordshire | 7.5 | 7.9 | 5.6 | 8.2 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 7.8 |
| Peterborough | 7.5 | 7.5 | 4.1 | 7.4 | 7.8 | 6.5 | 9.1 |
| Plymouth | 8.2 | 6.6 | 4.3 | 7.6 | 8.3 | 7.2 | 10.4 |
| Portsmouth | 8.2 | 6.9 | 3.5 | 7.7 | 8.7 | 6.9 | 8.1 |
| Reading | 7.5 | 7.5 | 5.2 | 8.9 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 8.1 |
| Redbridge | 7.1 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 7.3 | 7.0 | 6.8 | 8.0 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 7.7 | 8.8 | 3.6 | 7.4 | 7.7 | 7.9 | 10.4 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 5.9 | 6.2 | 6.8 | 6.2 | 5.7 | 6.6 | 7.0 |
| Rochdale | 7.8 | 7.8 | 3.9 | 8.0 | 8.3 | 7.6 | 9.6 |
| Rotherham | 7.8 | 8.0 | 3.8 | 8.4 | 7.9 | 7.0 | 10.4 |
| Rutland | 6.1 | 3.6 | 4.7 | 6.8 | 6.1 | 9.7 | 7.9 |
| Salford | 8.0 | 6.2 | 3.8 | 6.6 | 8.8 | 6.8 | 10.0 |
| Sandwell | 7.6 | 6.6 | 5.5 | 8.5 | 8.7 | 6.9 | 9.4 |
| Sefton | 7.9 | 6.6 | 3.7 | 7.4 | 8.0 | 7.8 | 8.6 |
| Sheffield | 8.2 | 8.3 | 5.4 | 9.8 | 8.2 | 8.7 | 12.5 |
| Shropshire | 7.1 | 6.5 | 6.0 | 7.5 | 7.1 | 7.1 | 9.0 |
| Slough | 7.6 | 7.2 | 6.0 | 7.5 | 8.9 | 7.2 | 8.7 |
| Solihull | 7.6 | 6.7 | 6.0 | 9.0 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 9.0 |
| Somerset | 8.0 | 6.9 | 4.3 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 8.1 | 12.9 |
| South Gloucestershire | 6.9 | 6.2 | 5.3 | 7.8 | 6.9 | 7.3 | 8.7 |
| South Tyneside | 7.3 | 7.2 | 4.0 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 7.6 | 7.9 |
| Southampton | 8.1 | 6.7 | 4.3 | 7.9 | 8.7 | 6.6 | 9.3 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 6.9 | 6.3 | 4.1 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 8.0 |
| Southwark | 6.6 | 7.8 | 5.5 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 7.1 | 7.4 |
| St. Helens | 7.4 | 5.2 | 4.9 | 6.4 | 7.5 | 5.7 | 7.9 |
| Staffordshire | 6.9 | 7.4 | 5.6 | 7.8 | 6.8 | 7.2 | 9.2 |
| Stockport | 6.9 | 7.4 | 5.0 | 7.2 | 6.9 | 7.0 | 8.2 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 7.7 | 7.7 | 3.3 | 8.1 | 7.8 | 7.3 | 8.6 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 8.1 | 7.9 | 4.5 | 9.4 | 8.3 | 8.5 | 9.2 |
| Suffolk | 7.7 | 7.1 | 5.5 | 7.6 | 7.7 | 6.7 | 9.4 |
| Sunderland | 8.1 | 7.5 | 3.4 | 7.7 | 8.2 | 6.5 | 9.8 |
| Surrey | 6.6 | 6.6 | 5.1 | 6.6 | 6.7 | 6.9 | 7.9 |
| Sutton | 6.4 | 5.6 | 5.2 | 6.7 | 7.2 | 6.1 | 7.1 |
| Swindon | 7.2 | 6.5 | 4.6 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.3 | 8.6 |
| Tameside | 6.9 | 6.7 | 3.4 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.7 |
| Telford and Wrekin | 6.8 | 6.6 | 3.3 | 6.8 | 7.1 | 6.6 | 8.0 |
| Thurrock | 6.8 | 6.9 | 3.9 | 6.7 | 7.4 | 6.1 | 8.3 |
| Torbay | 8.5 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 8.8 | 8.6 | 5.7 | 10.2 |
| Tower Hamlets | 7.0 | 6.8 | 5.4 | 8.3 | 8.4 | 6.2 | 7.3 |
| Trafford | 5.9 | 6.7 | 4.5 | 6.6 | 5.8 | 6.4 | 8.0 |
| Wakefield | 7.4 | 7.2 | 4.5 | 7.7 | 7.5 | 6.9 | 10.3 |
| Walsall | 8.0 | 7.0 | 4.8 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 9.1 |
| Waltham Forest | 6.9 | 7.8 | 6.4 | 7.1 | 6.7 | 6.5 | 8.0 |
| Wandsworth | 6.8 | 6.8 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 6.1 | 7.1 | 8.3 |
| Warrington | 6.4 | 6.1 | 4.2 | 6.8 | 6.6 | 6.8 | 7.5 |
| Warwickshire | 7.7 | 5.9 | 5.0 | 8.0 | 7.9 | 7.1 | 10.6 |
| West Berkshire | 7.0 | 6.9 | 4.9 | 7.1 | 7.0 | 7.8 | 8.6 |
| West Northamptonshire | 7.0 | 7.1 | 4.7 | 7.8 | 7.2 | 6.7 | 8.7 |
| West Sussex | 7.1 | 6.7 | 5.6 | 7.1 | 7.2 | 7.7 | 8.5 |
| Westminster | 8.0 | 8.3 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 7.7 | 8.5 | 10.0 |
| Wigan | 7.3 | 6.5 | 3.6 | 6.8 | 7.4 | 7.3 | 7.9 |
| Wiltshire | 7.0 | 5.7 | 4.6 | 7.6 | 7.0 | 6.5 | 8.2 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 7.2 | 7.6 | 6.0 | 7.0 | 7.1 | 7.5 | 8.1 |
| Wirral | 7.9 | 6.5 | 4.9 | 7.3 | 8.0 | 7.2 | 8.4 |
| Wokingham | 6.4 | 7.1 | 4.7 | 6.7 | 6.4 | 7.4 | 7.8 |
| Wolverhampton | 7.2 | 6.1 | 4.8 | 8.6 | 8.1 | 7.6 | 8.5 |
| Worcestershire | 7.4 | 7.5 | 4.7 | 7.6 | 7.4 | 7.0 | 8.3 |
| York | 7.2 | 5.9 | 3.9 | 6.5 | 7.3 | 5.9 | 8.7 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and area (overall absence)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and area (overall absence)’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school By ethnicity and area (overall absence) Summary
The data shows that, out of all local authorities:
-
Bradford had the highest overall absence rate (9.2%), and the highest overall absence rate for pupils with mixed ethnicity (10.5%)
-
Camden had the highest rate for pupils from the Asian ethnic group (9.1%)
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Bristol had the highest rate for black pupils (8.3%)
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Newcastle upon Tyne had the highest rate for white pupils (9.6%)
5. By ethnicity and type of school (overall absence)
| Special | State-funded primary | State-funded secondary | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Special % | Special Sessions | State-funded primary % | State-funded primary Sessions | State-funded secondary % | State-funded secondary Sessions | Total % | Total Sessions |
| All | 13.0 | 5,917,929 | 5.9 | 81,656,061 | 9.0 | 98,365,055 | 7.4 | 185,939,045 |
| Asian | 13.7 | 624,081 | 6.8 | 11,058,385 | 7.3 | 9,275,770 | 7.1 | 20,958,236 |
| Bangladeshi | 14.5 | 114,163 | 7.8 | 1,801,083 | 7.7 | 1,459,837 | 7.9 | 3,375,083 |
| Chinese | 6.9 | 11,082 | 3.5 | 358,851 | 3.3 | 234,534 | 3.4 | 604,467 |
| Indian | 11.2 | 101,497 | 5.7 | 2,905,363 | 5.6 | 2,062,730 | 5.7 | 5,069,590 |
| Pakistani | 15.4 | 298,480 | 7.8 | 4,706,061 | 8.9 | 4,394,029 | 8.4 | 9,398,570 |
| Asian other | 12.0 | 109,941 | 5.9 | 1,645,878 | 6.2 | 1,359,174 | 6.1 | 3,114,993 |
| Black | 10.7 | 328,236 | 4.7 | 3,658,678 | 5.9 | 3,861,179 | 5.4 | 7,848,093 |
| Black African | 10.2 | 212,427 | 4.2 | 2,314,043 | 5.0 | 2,292,056 | 4.7 | 4,818,526 |
| Black Caribbean | 12.6 | 62,979 | 6.9 | 796,217 | 8.8 | 1,012,860 | 7.9 | 1,872,056 |
| Black other | 10.6 | 52,830 | 5.2 | 548,418 | 6.7 | 556,263 | 6.0 | 1,157,511 |
| Mixed | 13.6 | 427,172 | 6.3 | 6,064,066 | 9.4 | 6,699,513 | 7.8 | 13,190,751 |
| Mixed white and Asian | 12.0 | 69,643 | 5.7 | 1,342,319 | 8.3 | 1,398,014 | 6.9 | 2,809,976 |
| Mixed white and black African | 13.1 | 58,904 | 5.8 | 747,528 | 9.0 | 893,496 | 7.3 | 1,699,928 |
| Mixed white and black Caribbean | 16.1 | 144,747 | 7.5 | 1,673,877 | 12.1 | 2,066,813 | 9.7 | 3,885,437 |
| Mixed other | 12.8 | 153,878 | 6.2 | 2,300,342 | 8.6 | 2,341,190 | 7.3 | 4,795,410 |
| White | 13.0 | 4,263,385 | 5.8 | 57,022,000 | 9.6 | 73,887,336 | 7.5 | 135,172,721 |
| White British | 13.0 | 3,954,082 | 5.6 | 49,054,021 | 9.6 | 66,725,052 | 7.5 | 119,733,155 |
| Gypsy, Roma | 22.6 | 35,958 | 15.8 | 880,182 | 22.5 | 642,971 | 18.2 | 1,559,111 |
| White Irish | 17.9 | 19,556 | 7.0 | 221,626 | 10.0 | 279,695 | 8.6 | 520,877 |
| Irish traveller | 29.4 | 13,974 | 22.7 | 344,603 | 22.9 | 105,134 | 22.9 | 463,711 |
| White other | 12.1 | 239,815 | 6.3 | 6,521,568 | 8.2 | 6,134,484 | 7.2 | 12,895,867 |
| Other | 13.0 | 111,387 | 6.6 | 2,071,800 | 7.9 | 1,871,500 | 7.2 | 4,054,687 |
| Unknown | 17.6 | 152,586 | 6.9 | 1,422,281 | 10.5 | 2,535,223 | 9.0 | 4,110,090 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and type of school (overall absence)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and type of school (overall absence)’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school By ethnicity and type of school (overall absence) Summary
The data shows that, in the 2022 to 2023 school year:
-
in most ethnic groups, the overall absence rate was highest in special schools and lowest in primary schools
-
for pupils in the Chinese ethnic group, the overall absence rate was 6.9% in special schools, 3.5% in primary schools and 3.3% in secondary schools
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the overall absence rate was higher in secondary schools than in primary schools for pupils in the Chinese (3.5% and 3.3%), Bangladeshi (7.8% and 7.7%), and Indian (5.7% and 5.6%) ethnic groups
6. By ethnicity (persistent absence)
| Ethnicity | % | Pupil enrolments |
|---|---|---|
| All | 21.2 | 1,569,303 |
| Asian | 22.6 | 194,864 |
| Bangladeshi | 26.6 | 33,082 |
| Chinese | 6.1 | 3,247 |
| Indian | 15.5 | 40,855 |
| Pakistani | 29.3 | 94,984 |
| Asian other | 17.2 | 25,943 |
| Black | 14.5 | 63,613 |
| Black African | 11.5 | 35,620 |
| Black Caribbean | 25.8 | 18,117 |
| Black other | 17.2 | 9,876 |
| Mixed | 23.4 | 116,386 |
| Mixed white and Asian | 19.4 | 23,094 |
| Mixed white and black African | 21.2 | 14,489 |
| Mixed white and black Caribbean | 31.0 | 36,595 |
| Mixed other | 22.0 | 42,208 |
| White | 21.3 | 1,106,545 |
| White British | 20.9 | 965,999 |
| Gypsy, Roma | 64.9 | 17,565 |
| White Irish | 25.5 | 4,543 |
| Irish traveller | 72.0 | 4,714 |
| White other | 21.4 | 113,724 |
| Other | 22.2 | 37,724 |
| Unknown | 27.4 | 46,924 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity (persistent absence)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity (persistent absence)’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school By ethnicity (persistent absence) Summary
The data shows that, in the 2022 to 2023 school year:
-
21.2% of pupils were 'persistently absent' – this means they missed 10% or more of their school sessions
-
6.1% of pupils in the Chinese ethnic group were persistently absent – the lowest percentage out of all ethnic groups
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72.0% of pupils from the Traveller of Irish heritage ethnic group were persistently absent – the highest of all ethnic groups, followed by white Gypsy or Roma ethnic groups (64.9%)
-
20.9% of white British pupils were persistently absent
7. By ethnicity and area (persistent absence)
| Local Authority | All | Asian | Black | Mixed | White | Other | Unknown |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| % | % | % | % | % | % | % | |
| Barking and Dagenham | 21.8 | 22.5 | 10.4 | 25.2 | 28.0 | 22.7 | 27.8 |
| Barnet | 18.6 | 17.4 | 18.7 | 21.1 | 17.1 | 23.8 | 25.4 |
| Barnsley | 21.9 | 22.6 | 11.4 | 20.7 | 22.0 | 22.8 | 25.1 |
| Bath and North East Somerset | 18.1 | 21.9 | 18.3 | 23.7 | 17.5 | 22.7 | 24.5 |
| Bedford | 21.6 | 27.8 | 12.8 | 24.7 | 20.1 | 27.5 | 29.4 |
| Bexley | 19.7 | 14.4 | 9.8 | 19.5 | 23.7 | 19.7 | 25.9 |
| Birmingham | 25.5 | 27.8 | 17.7 | 28.5 | 26.2 | 21.9 | 29.7 |
| Blackburn with Darwen | 24.3 | 22.5 | 10.7 | 28.6 | 25.7 | 25.8 | 35.6 |
| Blackpool | 25.9 | 16.6 | 12.5 | 24.6 | 26.0 | 41.7 | 39.3 |
| Bolton | 19.5 | 17.9 | 7.8 | 21.8 | 21.6 | 17.9 | 21.2 |
| Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole | 20.1 | 17.3 | 9.8 | 21.8 | 20.1 | 22.7 | 27.7 |
| Bracknell Forest | 17.6 | 14.7 | 9.4 | 17.4 | 18.4 | 16.8 | 16.0 |
| Bradford | 27.8 | 29.9 | 11.9 | 32.3 | 26.1 | 25.6 | 34.1 |
| Brent | 20.0 | 16.4 | 22.0 | 23.1 | 19.9 | 22.5 | 25.4 |
| Brighton and Hove | 21.6 | 23.9 | 17.2 | 21.9 | 21.5 | 24.9 | 29.5 |
| Bristol, City of | 26.0 | 31.8 | 27.5 | 30.3 | 24.0 | 28.8 | 38.9 |
| Bromley | 18.1 | 14.1 | 15.6 | 21.5 | 18.4 | 20.6 | 24.2 |
| Buckinghamshire | 21.1 | 25.4 | 16.8 | 24.2 | 19.4 | 23.0 | 26.8 |
| Bury | 20.4 | 24.9 | 9.5 | 23.7 | 19.6 | 21.2 | 27.9 |
| Calderdale | 21.5 | 26.6 | 15.7 | 25.0 | 20.1 | 20.6 | 28.0 |
| Cambridgeshire | 18.5 | 19.3 | 13.8 | 19.5 | 18.6 | 15.6 | 22.6 |
| Camden | 25.5 | 34.6 | 22.9 | 26.6 | 22.9 | 23.6 | 23.4 |
| Central Bedfordshire | 19.3 | 22.1 | 14.6 | 23.4 | 18.8 | 19.3 | 27.7 |
| Cheshire East | 17.7 | 18.7 | 13.8 | 19.4 | 17.4 | 26.9 | 24.8 |
| Cheshire West and Chester | 19.9 | 20.9 | 17.8 | 18.1 | 20.0 | 22.3 | 27.3 |
| City of London | 9.8 | 16.5 | 11.1 | 3.1 | 3.6 | 7.7 | 0.0 |
| Cornwall | 23.5 | 23.3 | 16.4 | 24.2 | 23.3 | 34.4 | 29.2 |
| County Durham | 23.5 | 18.1 | 10.2 | 19.7 | 23.8 | 22.3 | 27.2 |
| Coventry | 23.7 | 20.5 | 10.5 | 26.0 | 28.2 | 22.0 | 27.0 |
| Croydon | 22.4 | 22.9 | 18.4 | 26.5 | 22.9 | 25.8 | 28.3 |
| Cumbria | 24.8 | 25.2 | 11.7 | 24.1 | 24.7 | 24.0 | 31.3 |
| Darlington | 21.5 | 21.0 | 5.5 | 16.5 | 22.0 | 16.2 | 24.5 |
| Derby | 23.0 | 22.3 | 11.4 | 26.9 | 23.6 | 22.6 | 30.1 |
| Derbyshire | 19.3 | 18.3 | 13.4 | 20.7 | 19.2 | 20.1 | 28.8 |
| Devon | 21.1 | 18.0 | 11.4 | 22.3 | 21.0 | 23.8 | 26.8 |
| Doncaster | 22.6 | 20.0 | 6.8 | 21.2 | 23.1 | 22.9 | 30.2 |
| Dorset | 21.1 | 22.6 | 13.7 | 20.7 | 20.9 | 22.9 | 28.7 |
| Dudley | 23.0 | 25.2 | 12.8 | 29.9 | 22.1 | 24.2 | 33.4 |
| Ealing | 20.2 | 19.7 | 21.1 | 21.6 | 18.8 | 21.5 | 25.2 |
| East Riding of Yorkshire | 19.4 | 20.6 | 15.3 | 20.5 | 19.2 | 18.0 | 28.0 |
| East Sussex | 23.1 | 17.4 | 12.9 | 24.3 | 23.1 | 25.7 | 29.1 |
| Enfield | 22.0 | 19.3 | 17.1 | 23.4 | 24.0 | 21.4 | 27.0 |
| Essex | 20.2 | 17.8 | 9.5 | 22.0 | 20.8 | 16.9 | 24.6 |
| Gateshead | 21.4 | 23.9 | 6.8 | 17.0 | 21.9 | 24.4 | 26.7 |
| Gloucestershire | 20.0 | 20.1 | 12.7 | 23.5 | 19.9 | 28.6 | 22.4 |
| Greenwich | 19.5 | 18.2 | 11.4 | 23.7 | 24.7 | 19.3 | 18.7 |
| Hackney | 20.4 | 24.9 | 16.7 | 24.7 | 20.5 | 23.2 | 23.2 |
| Halton | 22.6 | 16.3 | 17.6 | 23.2 | 22.6 | 12.7 | 26.4 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | 21.8 | 23.3 | 19.7 | 25.8 | 20.3 | 23.4 | 26.6 |
| Hampshire | 18.4 | 15.1 | 10.3 | 18.7 | 18.7 | 20.9 | 23.0 |
| Haringey | 21.7 | 25.1 | 19.5 | 21.6 | 21.0 | 25.3 | 31.6 |
| Harrow | 20.6 | 17.2 | 24.8 | 24.2 | 22.2 | 30.0 | 27.8 |
| Hartlepool | 23.7 | 22.7 | 9.2 | 19.7 | 24.1 | 20.0 | 22.0 |
| Havering | 18.4 | 20.2 | 10.4 | 21.0 | 19.1 | 18.7 | 21.0 |
| Herefordshire, County of | 20.0 | 24.9 | 8.7 | 19.7 | 19.8 | 25.2 | 26.2 |
| Hertfordshire | 19.2 | 19.4 | 12.6 | 20.9 | 19.4 | 21.5 | 24.8 |
| Hillingdon | 22.2 | 18.9 | 20.1 | 21.6 | 25.6 | 21.9 | 26.4 |
| Hounslow | 21.4 | 20.2 | 18.7 | 23.4 | 22.9 | 20.7 | 26.3 |
| Isle of Scilly | 15.8 | NA | NA | 11.1 | 16.4 | NA | 0.0 |
| Isle of Wight | 24.0 | 28.6 | 11.9 | 27.1 | 23.8 | 24.4 | 29.2 |
| Islington | 25.2 | 30.0 | 21.5 | 27.4 | 26.3 | 21.0 | 26.6 |
| Kensington and Chelsea | 23.2 | 23.1 | 21.1 | 26.4 | 22.0 | 22.6 | 31.1 |
| Kent | 23.2 | 19.1 | 11.3 | 20.9 | 24.2 | 20.6 | 29.4 |
| Kingston upon Hull, City of | 23.9 | 21.7 | 7.0 | 21.3 | 24.7 | 19.7 | 33.8 |
| Kingston upon Thames | 16.6 | 18.9 | 16.7 | 16.8 | 15.8 | 18.2 | 28.8 |
| Kirklees | 21.0 | 26.6 | 10.6 | 26.4 | 18.1 | 22.7 | 28.0 |
| Knowsley | 27.0 | 18.6 | 8.8 | 26.8 | 27.6 | 18.4 | 31.1 |
| Lambeth | 21.8 | 25.5 | 21.4 | 27.0 | 18.2 | 22.1 | 30.2 |
| Lancashire | 20.3 | 25.1 | 9.4 | 23.0 | 19.4 | 25.1 | 29.3 |
| Leeds | 21.8 | 25.4 | 10.3 | 24.4 | 22.1 | 21.1 | 31.3 |
| Leicester | 21.6 | 17.2 | 14.0 | 27.4 | 29.1 | 20.8 | 23.7 |
| Leicestershire | 17.3 | 13.6 | 10.1 | 20.1 | 17.6 | 17.4 | 24.6 |
| Lewisham | 19.0 | 20.6 | 17.2 | 22.4 | 18.2 | 19.8 | 25.6 |
| Lincolnshire | 21.3 | 17.1 | 10.1 | 21.1 | 21.3 | 21.5 | 33.1 |
| Liverpool | 23.6 | 17.3 | 11.3 | 24.7 | 25.4 | 20.0 | 30.9 |
| Luton | 24.6 | 26.7 | 13.8 | 27.8 | 23.9 | 22.9 | 30.5 |
| Manchester | 22.2 | 23.3 | 10.4 | 26.2 | 26.9 | 20.0 | 24.7 |
| Medway | 22.4 | 19.2 | 8.4 | 22.6 | 24.7 | 18.9 | 27.2 |
| Merton | 18.9 | 19.9 | 16.1 | 22.8 | 19.0 | 15.2 | 20.9 |
| Middlesbrough | 26.9 | 22.6 | 7.2 | 27.2 | 28.9 | 24.8 | 27.5 |
| Milton Keynes | 20.1 | 20.9 | 11.6 | 22.2 | 21.7 | 22.0 | 25.8 |
| Newcastle upon Tyne | 24.9 | 24.5 | 8.6 | 19.5 | 27.4 | 22.9 | 31.2 |
| Newham | 24.4 | 25.2 | 17.1 | 27.0 | 29.7 | 20.3 | 31.4 |
| Norfolk | 22.4 | 17.9 | 11.8 | 24.0 | 22.4 | 22.8 | 31.4 |
| North East Lincolnshire | 22.9 | 23.8 | 9.8 | 20.4 | 22.9 | 24.1 | 29.1 |
| North Lincolnshire | 21.6 | 21.2 | 11.2 | 22.4 | 21.4 | 35.4 | 30.2 |
| North Northamptonshire | 20.3 | 15.9 | 8.9 | 22.0 | 21.0 | 22.7 | 24.5 |
| North Somerset | 20.5 | 22.4 | 21.5 | 23.3 | 20.3 | 18.2 | 26.1 |
| North Tyneside | 18.7 | 20.4 | 11.4 | 15.8 | 18.8 | 21.7 | 22.6 |
| North Yorkshire | 19.3 | 25.5 | 10.6 | 19.9 | 18.9 | 27.1 | 33.1 |
| Northumberland | 19.9 | 17.4 | 8.3 | 18.4 | 20.0 | 18.5 | 29.1 |
| Nottingham | 24.3 | 23.2 | 11.5 | 28.0 | 27.4 | 22.0 | 27.2 |
| Nottinghamshire | 19.2 | 17.0 | 11.3 | 20.6 | 19.4 | 20.1 | 27.7 |
| Oldham | 24.2 | 27.8 | 8.9 | 27.4 | 23.1 | 27.2 | 29.0 |
| Oxfordshire | 20.3 | 26.8 | 15.6 | 23.7 | 19.5 | 22.5 | 23.0 |
| Peterborough | 22.7 | 25.4 | 8.1 | 22.2 | 23.2 | 17.1 | 29.7 |
| Plymouth | 24.1 | 20.3 | 10.1 | 23.4 | 24.6 | 21.7 | 30.9 |
| Portsmouth | 22.5 | 21.4 | 7.2 | 20.7 | 24.1 | 19.5 | 21.9 |
| Reading | 23.7 | 25.6 | 15.3 | 28.4 | 23.2 | 25.3 | 26.9 |
| Redbridge | 22.0 | 23.2 | 18.0 | 22.4 | 20.3 | 20.7 | 28.8 |
| Redcar and Cleveland | 21.3 | 33.5 | 6.9 | 21.0 | 21.1 | 23.8 | 30.3 |
| Richmond upon Thames | 14.9 | 17.3 | 19.5 | 17.7 | 13.9 | 17.9 | 19.7 |
| Rochdale | 23.8 | 25.3 | 9.2 | 24.7 | 24.5 | 25.6 | 33.5 |
| Rotherham | 23.2 | 27.3 | 9.2 | 25.7 | 23.0 | 20.9 | 31.7 |
| Rutland | 15.4 | 7.3 | 12.5 | 18.7 | 15.2 | 33.3 | 23.2 |
| Salford | 24.0 | 19.4 | 8.7 | 18.9 | 26.9 | 19.9 | 28.0 |
| Sandwell | 23.7 | 20.5 | 15.7 | 27.7 | 26.9 | 21.6 | 28.3 |
| Sefton | 23.2 | 18.6 | 8.7 | 21.6 | 23.6 | 23.9 | 22.7 |
| Sheffield | 24.3 | 29.1 | 14.3 | 29.5 | 23.2 | 30.7 | 34.4 |
| Shropshire | 20.1 | 21.1 | 15.9 | 22.2 | 19.9 | 22.6 | 29.9 |
| Slough | 24.1 | 23.0 | 16.6 | 24.9 | 28.6 | 21.9 | 29.7 |
| Solihull | 21.8 | 20.7 | 17.9 | 28.5 | 21.8 | 20.1 | 28.9 |
| Somerset | 22.1 | 21.8 | 6.8 | 25.0 | 21.9 | 22.1 | 32.7 |
| South Gloucestershire | 18.4 | 16.9 | 12.9 | 22.9 | 18.3 | 21.8 | 25.3 |
| South Tyneside | 21.0 | 23.0 | 8.8 | 19.4 | 21.1 | 21.9 | 24.0 |
| Southampton | 23.3 | 20.1 | 10.2 | 23.7 | 24.9 | 20.9 | 27.1 |
| Southend-on-Sea | 19.5 | 19.8 | 9.0 | 20.4 | 20.2 | 21.0 | 22.4 |
| Southwark | 19.2 | 25.8 | 14.7 | 23.8 | 21.0 | 21.9 | 22.5 |
| St. Helens | 20.5 | 15.2 | 9.5 | 17.4 | 20.8 | 16.1 | 29.2 |
| Staffordshire | 19.3 | 24.5 | 15.5 | 23.1 | 18.8 | 22.2 | 28.7 |
| Stockport | 19.1 | 24.5 | 12.9 | 23.0 | 18.4 | 20.3 | 25.1 |
| Stockton-on-Tees | 22.0 | 24.4 | 7.5 | 25.4 | 22.1 | 22.7 | 26.6 |
| Stoke-on-Trent | 24.5 | 26.7 | 10.5 | 29.2 | 24.4 | 27.6 | 31.0 |
| Suffolk | 21.6 | 21.8 | 14.1 | 22.8 | 21.4 | 21.4 | 28.0 |
| Sunderland | 23.9 | 26.5 | 9.3 | 23.1 | 24.4 | 21.0 | 28.8 |
| Surrey | 17.5 | 19.1 | 13.7 | 17.4 | 17.3 | 21.1 | 23.2 |
| Sutton | 17.9 | 15.1 | 13.9 | 19.2 | 20.5 | 17.1 | 21.6 |
| Swindon | 20.5 | 19.5 | 10.7 | 24.7 | 20.9 | 22.2 | 23.0 |
| Tameside | 18.3 | 21.0 | 6.4 | 19.3 | 18.3 | 21.0 | 25.0 |
| Telford and Wrekin | 19.3 | 19.2 | 6.7 | 19.5 | 20.0 | 19.6 | 25.4 |
| Thurrock | 19.4 | 21.1 | 9.3 | 20.0 | 21.3 | 16.2 | 25.8 |
| Torbay | 24.4 | 15.6 | 17.5 | 28.3 | 24.4 | 16.8 | 30.5 |
| Tower Hamlets | 21.9 | 21.6 | 14.0 | 27.2 | 27.4 | 18.5 | 21.8 |
| Trafford | 14.9 | 19.5 | 10.4 | 18.8 | 13.8 | 17.3 | 24.1 |
| Wakefield | 21.6 | 22.7 | 10.8 | 24.1 | 21.5 | 22.4 | 33.8 |
| Walsall | 24.3 | 21.7 | 12.2 | 28.3 | 26.4 | 27.5 | 25.2 |
| Waltham Forest | 21.2 | 26.0 | 18.8 | 21.8 | 19.5 | 18.2 | 29.0 |
| Wandsworth | 19.5 | 21.2 | 21.5 | 24.9 | 15.4 | 21.7 | 24.5 |
| Warrington | 16.8 | 17.4 | 7.3 | 17.8 | 17.3 | 20.6 | 21.1 |
| Warwickshire | 20.8 | 16.1 | 12.4 | 23.1 | 21.1 | 22.5 | 30.6 |
| West Berkshire | 18.6 | 21.1 | 11.9 | 20.3 | 18.3 | 23.6 | 28.7 |
| West Northamptonshire | 19.2 | 21.8 | 10.5 | 22.2 | 19.4 | 19.1 | 24.7 |
| West Sussex | 19.9 | 20.9 | 15.9 | 21.2 | 19.8 | 23.0 | 27.0 |
| Westminster | 26.0 | 28.4 | 22.2 | 28.6 | 23.4 | 28.7 | 34.2 |
| Wigan | 20.2 | 19.6 | 7.5 | 20.9 | 20.7 | 20.4 | 21.5 |
| Wiltshire | 18.5 | 16.6 | 10.7 | 21.4 | 18.4 | 19.9 | 23.6 |
| Windsor and Maidenhead | 20.4 | 24.1 | 19.5 | 20.5 | 19.4 | 25.9 | 22.4 |
| Wirral | 22.4 | 19.5 | 12.1 | 21.3 | 22.7 | 23.0 | 23.2 |
| Wokingham | 17.3 | 22.5 | 11.1 | 17.9 | 16.4 | 24.1 | 21.8 |
| Wolverhampton | 21.8 | 18.0 | 12.6 | 26.8 | 25.4 | 24.3 | 23.0 |
| Worcestershire | 20.8 | 24.2 | 11.4 | 22.4 | 20.5 | 22.1 | 26.6 |
| York | 18.1 | 16.6 | 8.9 | 18.2 | 18.2 | 17.0 | 25.6 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and area (persistent absence)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and area (persistent absence)’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school By ethnicity and area (persistent absence) Summary
The data shows that, out of all local authorities:
-
Bradford had the highest overall persistent absence rate (27.8%), and the highest rate for pupils with mixed ethnicity (32.3%)
-
Camden had the highest persistent absence rates for Asian pupils (34.6%)
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Bristol had the highest rate for black pupils (27.5%)
-
Newham had the highest rate for white pupils (29.7%)
8. By ethnicity and type of school (persistent absence)
| Special | State-funded primary | State-funded secondary | Total | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ethnicity | Special % | Special Pupil enrolments | State-funded primary % | State-funded primary Pupil enrolments | State-funded secondary % | State-funded secondary Pupil enrolments | Total % | Total Pupil enrolments |
| All | 38.3 | 50,804 | 16.2 | 641,608 | 26.5 | 876,891 | 21.2 | 1,569,303 |
| Asian | 45.9 | 5,990 | 21.6 | 101,491 | 23.0 | 87,383 | 22.6 | 194,864 |
| Bangladeshi | 51.5 | 1,163 | 27.1 | 17,908 | 24.9 | 14,011 | 26.6 | 33,082 |
| Chinese | 18.3 | 84 | 5.9 | 1,824 | 6.2 | 1,339 | 6.1 | 3,247 |
| Indian | 36.3 | 944 | 15.9 | 23,800 | 14.6 | 16,111 | 15.5 | 40,855 |
| Pakistani | 50.6 | 2,810 | 27.1 | 46,445 | 31.0 | 45,729 | 29.3 | 94,984 |
| Asian other | 40.9 | 1,073 | 16.2 | 13,338 | 17.5 | 11,532 | 17.2 | 25,943 |
| Black | 32.2 | 2,877 | 12.0 | 27,414 | 16.7 | 33,322 | 14.5 | 63,613 |
| Black African | 30.9 | 1,865 | 9.5 | 15,646 | 13.0 | 18,109 | 11.5 | 35,620 |
| Black Caribbean | 38.7 | 567 | 22.0 | 7,337 | 28.9 | 10,213 | 25.8 | 18,117 |
| Black other | 30.7 | 445 | 14.4 | 4,431 | 19.9 | 5,000 | 17.2 | 9,876 |
| White | 37.4 | 35,750 | 15.3 | 424,209 | 27.8 | 646,586 | 21.3 | 1,106,545 |
| White British | 37.1 | 33,037 | 14.5 | 354,112 | 27.8 | 578,850 | 20.9 | 965,999 |
| Gypsy, Roma | 64.9 | 309 | 61.2 | 10,478 | 71.5 | 6,778 | 64.9 | 17,565 |
| Irish traveller | 71.4 | 100 | 74.3 | 3,622 | 64.8 | 992 | 72.0 | 4,714 |
| White Irish | 49.4 | 158 | 20.9 | 1,895 | 29.5 | 2,490 | 25.5 | 4,543 |
| White other | 37.5 | 2,146 | 18.1 | 54,102 | 25.3 | 57,476 | 21.4 | 113,724 |
| Mixed | 40.5 | 3,696 | 18.7 | 50,924 | 28.7 | 61,766 | 23.4 | 116,386 |
| Mixed white and Asian | 37.0 | 618 | 15.4 | 10,231 | 24.2 | 12,245 | 19.4 | 23,094 |
| Mixed white and black African | 36.3 | 475 | 16.0 | 5,932 | 27.0 | 8,082 | 21.2 | 14,489 |
| Mixed white and black Caribbean | 45.8 | 1,218 | 24.3 | 15,377 | 38.4 | 20,000 | 31.0 | 36,595 |
| Mixed other | 39.7 | 1,385 | 18.3 | 19,384 | 26.0 | 21,439 | 22.0 | 42,208 |
| Other | 42.8 | 1,052 | 19.6 | 18,449 | 24.8 | 18,223 | 22.2 | 37,724 |
| Unknown | 47.8 | 1,355 | 21.4 | 17,297 | 32.2 | 28,272 | 27.4 | 46,924 |
Download table data for ‘By ethnicity and type of school (persistent absence)’ (CSV) Source data for ‘By ethnicity and type of school (persistent absence)’ (CSV)
Summary of Absence from school By ethnicity and type of school (persistent absence) Summary
The data shows that:
-
the persistent absence rate for all pupils ranged from 16.2% in primary schools to 38.3% in special schools
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in most ethnic groups, the persistent absence rate was highest in special schools – the exception was for the white Gypsy or Roma ethnic group, where the persistent absence rate was highest in state-funded secondary schools (71.5%)
-
in all ethnic groups except the Indian, Bangladeshi and Traveller of Irish heritage ethnic groups, the persistent absence rate was lowest in primary schools
9. Data sources
Source
Pupil absence in schools in England, Academic Year 2022/23
Type of data
Administrative data
Type of statistic
National Statistics
Publisher
Department for Education
Publication frequency
Yearly
Purpose of data source
The data helps schools, local authorities and the government have a greater understanding of the level of absence and the reasons for it.
10. Download the data
This file contains the following: measure, time, time_type, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, geography, geography_type, type_of_school, value, value_type, numerator, denominator
This file contains the following: measure, time, time_type, ethnicity, ethnicity_type, geography, geography_type, value, value_type, numerator, denominator