Alvin M. Keeling 
Around one in 10 pupils in Gloucestershire schools consistently miss lessons, new data shows. In the worst-case scenario, some 348 Gloucester Academy students were recorded as constantly absent in the 2020-21 academic year, according to the latest figures from the Department for Education (DfE).
This means that they missed at least 10% of possible half-day sessions, or the equivalent of one day off every fortnight. At 43.4% of students enrolled in school during the year, it was the seventh highest persistent absence rate out of thousands recorded by state-funded secondary schools across the country. England.
The school also recorded 60 pupils as having missed at least half of their sessions. At 7.5%, it was the highest rate among high schools in the region for such severe levels of absence.
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The second highest persistent absence rate from Gloucestershire secondary schools was recorded at Holmleigh Park High School, where 287 pupils missed 10% or more of sessions, or 27.1% of the school’s pupil population. At Walmore Hill Primary School, 23 students (33.8%) missed at least one in 10 sessions, which was the highest rate for primary schools in the region and among the highest nationally. This is followed by Tutshill Church of England Primary School, with 59 pupils (31.7%).
Figures for individual schools exclude a small number of high schools with fewer than 100 students enrolled and primary with fewer than 50 students enrolled. As the data counts enrollment rather than individual students, a child who changed schools during the year will be counted more than once.
Across all grammar and primary schools in Gloucestershire, 7,777 pupils (10.1%) were recorded as constantly absent during the year, while 668 (0.9%) missed at least half of their sessions. The government has cited levels of persistent absence in its recent ‘leveling up’ plan as one of the ways it will measure its progress in spreading opportunities more evenly across the country.
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And earlier this month the DfE announced a £5million trial in which ‘attendance mentors’ will provide individual support to pupils or their families to ‘overcome barriers’ to school attendance. Across England, 11.5% of primary and secondary pupil enrollment was recorded as constantly absent in 2020-21, which equates to around 814,000 children. That figure was up from 10.6% in 2018-19, the last year with comparable numbers.
At the same time, the rate of students missing at least half of their possible sessions also increased, from 0.8% to 1.1% over the period, which represents approximately 75,000 registrations. The Association of School and College Leaders said most students had good attendance.
Group general secretary Geoff Barton said: “However, there is a long-standing problem of persistent absence among some young people, which may have worsened during the pandemic, and this may be higher in socio-economic areas. – economically disadvantaged.
“This is because these young people often face very significant challenges in their lives and may therefore disengage from education. Schools are working very hard to encourage good attendance, but they have not been helped by the government cutting funding to local authorities, which has had an impact on attendance support services.
He added that it was essential that the government’s current focus on improving participation was translated into practical support and resources on the ground. More than a fifth (21.5%) of possible face-to-face sessions in 2020-21 were missed for Covid-related reasons. This equates to approximately 268.2 million school days and includes students self-isolating and shielding, as well as when a class or bubble was required to stay home. In addition, 4.4% of sessions were missed due to absences, which represents 55.5 million days.
Sessions that a student did not attend for Covid-related reasons were still counted towards their eventual attendance as they needed to be able to access remote learning. However, if a child then tested positive, they would be recorded as absent due to illness.
A DfE spokesperson said the pandemic had shown the “vital importance” of face-to-face education for children and young people.
He added: ‘We are taking action to understand and tackle avoidable absences, including through our alliance of leading experts such as the Children’s Commissioner and Ofsted’s Chief Inspector, and our attendance counselors working with councils and trusts to help manage local attendance issues.
“We are working to strengthen support for less frequent students and have launched a new pilot program to improve the quality of school attendance data to ensure that no child misses education unnecessarily. We are also holding a consultation to help end the postcode lottery on how attendance is handled at different schools and parts of the country.
Gloucestershire secondary schools with highest proportions of persistent absentees
Name of school – Number of pupils – Persistent absentees – Persistent absenteeism rate (%)
- Gloucester Academy: 802 – 348 – 43.4%
- Holmleigh Park Secondary School: 1,058 – 287 – 27.1%
- Sir William Romney School: 543 – 139 – 25.6%
- Tewkesbury School: 1,092 – 246 – 22.5%
- Henley Bank Secondary School: 577 – 122 – 21.1%
Gloucestershire secondary schools with lowest proportions of persistent absentees
Name of school – Number of pupils – Persistent absentees – Persistent absenteeism rate (%)
- Pate’s Grammar School: 760 – 27 – 3.6%
- Stroud High School: 794 – 30 – 3.8%
- Marling School: 791 – 31 – 3.9%
- The Crypt School: 756 – 30 – 4%
- Sir Thomas Rich School: 714 – 29 – 4.1%
Gloucestershire primary schools with highest proportions of persistent absentees
Name of school – Number of pupils – Persistent absentees – Persistent absenteeism rate (%)
- Walmore Hill Elementary School: 68 – 23 – 33.8%
- Tutshill Church of England Primary School: 186 – 59 – 31.7%
- Gardners Lane Primary School: 262 – 63 – 24%
- Kingsholm Church of England Primary School: 541 – 130 – 24%
- Coalway Community Infant School: 110 – 26 – 23.6%
Gloucestershire primary schools with lowest proportions of persistent absentees
Name of school – Number of pupils – Persistent absentees – Persistent absenteeism rate (%)
- Isbourne Valley School: 71 – 0 – 0%
- Sapperton Church of England Primary School: 72 – 0 – 0%
- Huntley Church of England Primary School: 83 – 0 – 0%
- Meysey Hampton Church of England Primary School: 87 – 0 – 0%
- Gretton Primary School: 92 – 0 – 0%
