Department for Education · 9 June 201713 December 2019

Persistent absence during the Conservative 2017–2019 government

2015/16 academic year2018/19 academic year · 3 periods

3.5%+0.4% percent

Persistent absence rose by 3.5% over the period, from 10.5% percent (2015/16 academic year, the level when the government took office) to 10.9% (2018/19 academic year, the last complete period before it left office).

  1. Inherited level 2015/16 academic year: 10.5%
  2. Level when it left 2018/19 academic year: 10.9%
  3. method: latest complete period before start / before end

Changes during this period do not by themselves show what the government caused. Statistics reflect many influences, including earlier decisions, the economy and how the data is collected.

Persistent absence: 2006/07 academic year to 2024/25 academic yearLabourLabourCoalitionCoalitionConservativeConservativeConservativeConservativeLabour0%10%20%20102015202020252006/07 academic year: 19.3% percent · published 4 August 20262007/08 academic year: 18.5% percent · published 4 August 20262008/09 academic year: 18.5% percent · published 4 August 20262009/10 academic year: 17.4% percent · published 4 August 20262010/11 academic year: 16.3% percent · published 4 August 20262011/12 academic year: 13.5% percent · published 4 August 20262012/13 academic year: 13.6% percent · published 4 August 20262013/14 academic year: 10.7% percent · published 4 August 20262014/15 academic year: 11% percent · published 4 August 20262015/16 academic year: 10.5% percent · published 4 August 20262016/17 academic year: 10.8% percent · published 4 August 20262017/18 academic year: 11.2% percent · published 4 August 20262018/19 academic year: 10.9% percent · published 4 August 20262020/21 academic year: 12.1% percent · published 4 August 20262021/22 academic year: 22.5% percent · published 4 August 20262022/23 academic year: 21.2% percent · published 4 August 20262023/24 academic year: 20% percent · published 4 August 20262024/25 academic year: 18.1% percent · published 4 August 2026

Published valueProvisional or revisedLatestShaded bands: governments (see labels)Hover or use arrow keys to read a value

Definition and caveats

The percentage of pupil enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools in England that missed 10% or more of their possible sessions in the academic year.

Doesn’t measure: Why pupils were absent, or absence in independent schools and alternative provision, which the measure excludes.