DfE Attendance Figures

The Department for Education (DfE) has published the latest school attendance figures.

These figures are derived from regular data automatically submitted to the DfE by participating schools. The figures relate to the attendance of 5 to 15 year old (i.e. compulsory school age) pupils in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools in England.

The figures are published to give an indicative figure for the absence rate during the 2022/23 academic year. A national level figure was published on 8 September 2022 and from 29 September 2022 the pupil attendance dashboard will be updated fortnightly, providing aggregate metrics on overall absence and reasons for absence estimated at national, regional and local authority level only.

Headline facts and figures:

• Overall absence rate 6.5% during week commencing 26 September 2022
• Authorised absence rate 4.6% during week commencing 26 September 2022
• Unauthorised absence rate 2.0% during week commencing 26 September 2022
• Overall absence rate 6.1% academic year to date
• Authorised absence rate 4.1% academic year to date
• Unauthorised absence rate 1.9% academic year to date
• The attendance rate was 93.5% across all schools in the week commencing 26 September 2022. The absence rate was, therefore, 6.5% across all schools.

By school type, the absence rates across the week were:

• 9% in state-funded primary schools (3.6% authorised and 1.3% unauthorised)
• 4% in state-funded secondary schools (5.7% authorised and 2.8% unauthorised)
• 3% in state-funded special schools (9.6% authorised and 2.7% unauthorised)

The data shows that the attendance rate across the academic year to date was 93.9%. The absence rate was, therefore, 6.1% across all schools.

By school type, the absence rates across the year to date were:

• 8% in state-funded primary schools (3.4% authorised and 1.4% unauthorised)
• 6% in state-funded secondary schools (4.9% authorised and 2.7% unauthorised)
• 6% in state-funded special schools (8.9% authorised and 2.7% unauthorised)