The Education Policy Institute (EPI) has today published the
third in a series of analyses of post-pandemic absences in
England.
The latest government data shows overall absence rates in schools
are falling, but there is a widening gap between vulnerable
children and their peers. Last year, we reported on the very high
absence statistics that the Department for Education published
for the autumn term of 2022/23. We were concerned that absences
had spiked to historic highs during the pandemic. Furthermore,
absence rates had increased more over the pandemic for vulnerable
pupils, such as those on FSM and those with SEND.
This new analysis piece by Associate Director of Social Mobility
and Vulnerable Learners, Emily Hunt, Associate Director of
School System and Performance, Louis Hodge, and Researcher, Oana
Gavriloiu, reanalyse the situation one year on using DfE's latest absence
statistics for the autumn term 2023/24 to understand the
trends on post-pandemic absence in England.
The blog has been published today – you can read it here.
Key findings
- The overall level of absence is falling but this is driven by
falls in illness related absence as the pandemic has subsided,
and unauthorised absences have in fact
increased. Unauthorised absence remains an issue for all
pupils, regardless of their characteristics.
- Disadvantaged pupils and those with special educational needs
and disability (SEND) had the largest increases in absence during
the pandemic and have also seen the smallest reductions in
absence post pandemic.
- While absence is now generally declining among pupils with
SEND, it continues to rise for those with social emotional and
mental health needs.
- These disparities in absence rates have led to a widening of
the ‘absence gap' for vulnerable pupils. Disadvantaged
pupils now have over 3 days of absence a term than their
peers, up from just over 2 days prior to the pandemic.
