The number of pupils in England off school without permission at the start of this term has risen compared with last year, figures suggest.
Data from the Department for Education (DfE) shows the unauthorised absence rate across state schools in England was 2.7% in the week ending January 10 – the first week of term following the Christmas holidays.
This was higher than the equivalent week in 2024 – the week ending January 12 – when the rate was 2.5%, according to the DfE.
It comes as parents in England face higher fines if they take their children out of class without permission this academic year as part of a Government drive to boost school attendance since the Covid-19 pandemic.
The latest DfE data also shows the overall absence rate – authorised and unauthorised – was 6.9% in the week ending January 10.
This was higher than the equivalent week in 2024 when the overall absence rate was 6.6%.
This has been driven by an increase in unauthorised absences, the DfE said.
School absence fines have increased from £60 to £80, and a parent who receives a second fine for the same child within a three-year period will automatically receive a £160 fine.
Under new national rules, all schools are required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (five days) for unauthorised reasons.
The DfE has said other actions, such as a parenting order or prosecution, will be considered if a parent exceeds two fines per child within a three-year period, and those who are prosecuted could receive a fine of up to £2,500.
The absence rate varied across the first week of term this year – with a peak of 7.8% on Monday, the first day of term, and a low of 6.4% on Wednesday.
On Wednesday, the Education Secretary said the country’s “absence epidemic signals a crisis of belonging” among school children.
During a speech to ed tech event The Bett Show in London, Bridget Phillipson announced that every secondary school, trust and local authority can now view, download and share a new attendance data summary.
Paul Whiteman, general secretary at school leaders’ union NAHT, said: “School leaders work hard to ensure pupils attend school, and while the unauthorised absence figures for this particular week show a small increase compared to last year, there is a slight improvement over the academic year to date.
“However, we have long argued that fining parents is a blunt tool which does not get to the root causes of non-attendance, and we did not believe that increasing these fines would shift the dial in any meaningful way.”
He added: “It will be vital that the new administration builds on measures like its register of children not in school by investing more in services like social care and children’s mental health – and important that its child poverty taskforce leads to tangible action.”
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders (ASCL), said: “Although attendance rates naturally fluctuate to a certain extent, any increase in unauthorised absences, however small, is a cause for concern.
“The reasons for unauthorised absence are varied. Some of this may be due to families taking their children out of school for extended Christmas breaks – which is likely to result in a fine.
“However, a significant amount of unauthorised absences occur for other reasons, often when children and families are in very difficult situations.
“We need to see greater investment in family and child support services in order to help pupils to return to school when these serious issues occur.
“We would appeal to all families to make sure their children attend school. They only get one chance at education – and it is too precious to miss.”
