The ones who have stopped coming

Severe absence is missing half of school. It rose after the pandemic and has not come back.

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Data access

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Preview the latest 32 observations
SeriesPeriod or categoryValueUnit
ValueIslington4.3% of secondary pupils
ValueCamden3.8% of secondary pupils
ValueKensington and Chelsea3.2% of secondary pupils
ValueGreenwich2.9% of secondary pupils
ValueCroydon2.9% of secondary pupils
ValueBexley2.7% of secondary pupils
ValueLambeth2.6% of secondary pupils
ValueEaling2.6% of secondary pupils
ValueHavering2.6% of secondary pupils
ValueBromley2.6% of secondary pupils
ValueHackney2.5% of secondary pupils
ValueHaringey2.5% of secondary pupils
ValueNewham2.5% of secondary pupils
ValueRichmond upon Thames2.5% of secondary pupils
ValueWestminster2.4% of secondary pupils
ValueEnfield2.3% of secondary pupils
ValueLewisham2.3% of secondary pupils
ValueHillingdon2.2% of secondary pupils
ValueWaltham Forest2.2% of secondary pupils
ValueHammersmith and Fulham2.1% of secondary pupils
ValueWandsworth2.1% of secondary pupils
ValueKingston upon Thames2.1% of secondary pupils
ValueSutton2.1% of secondary pupils
ValueSouthwark2% of secondary pupils
ValueHounslow2% of secondary pupils
ValueMerton2% of secondary pupils
ValueHarrow1.9% of secondary pupils
ValueBarking and Dagenham1.9% of secondary pupils
ValueBarnet1.7% of secondary pupils
ValueBrent1.7% of secondary pupils
ValueTower Hamlets1.7% of secondary pupils
ValueRedbridge1.5% of secondary pupils

Methodology

Severely absent pupils — those missing 50% or more of possible sessions — as a share of state-funded secondary enrolments, by borough. A much smaller number than persistent absence and a much sharper one: these are children who are, in effect, no longer attending school at all.

Provenance

Cadence
annual
Engine
comparison

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