CSJ - Record numbers missing over half of school, new data reveals

26 Mar 2026 01:01 PM

Pupils missing more than half of classes hit an annual record high last year, according to new figures from the Department for Education

• 176,000 pupils missed more than 50 per cent of classes in 2024/25, up threefold since 2018/19
• Persistent absence down 10 per cent compared to 2023/24 but 1.34 million children still persistently absent in 2024/25, 74 per cent higher than before the pandemic
• 89 million days of school missed last year, 29 million more than in 2018/19
• Half of all parents polled say it is “reasonable” to miss one in every 10 days of school despite £10,000 income loss by age 28

An analysis published by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) found that while ministers have made “encouraging progress” tackling persistent absence (pupils missing over 10 per cent of classes), severe absence (pupils missing over 50 per cent) is continuing to spiral upwards.

176,361 pupils were severely absent in 2024/25. This is up by threefold (193 per cent) since before the pandemic.

By contrast, persistent absence fell by 10 per cent compared to 2023/2024. However, with 1.34 million pupils, that is, one in five, missing more than one in ten days of school, absenteeism remains 74 per cent higher than the pre pandemic norm, with devastating consequences for life chances and the economy.

In total, the CSJ estimates that the equivalent of 89 million school days were lost to absence last year. This is 29 million more days of lost learning compared to attendance rates in 2018/19.

Daniel Lilley, Head of Youth at the CSJ, said:

“A good education can provide a golden ticket to a better life, but in order to take advantage of it you need to be at school.

“The government has made encouraging steps in improving overall absence, but this is the low hanging fruit. Meanwhile, the number of vulnerable pupils missing more school than they attend has hit yet another tragic record.

“To rescue these young people falling out of the education system, ministers must adopt our plan to take on the root causes of this disaster of missed learning.”

These diverging trends, persistent absence coming down while severe absence continues to march upwards, are explored in a landmark enquiry into the root causes of the school absence crisis published by the CSJ.

The report identified three “root causes” of the absence crisis:

• The mutual breakdown of trust between home and school, highlighted in findings showing that four in five headteachers say that they have suffered parental abuse in the last year with one in ten being violently attacked
• A growing belief among parents that there is no link between success at school and getting a good job later. Over two fifths of secondary school parents (42 per cent according to polling published by the CSJ) believe that most of what their children are taught will not help them in later life, and children ivn Year 10 are over six times more likely to be severely absent than those in primary school.
• Family breakdown. Half of all UK children are growing up with just one biological parent and those living with no biological parent are almost three times as likely to be persistently absent as those living with both parents. Researchers found that many parents no longer value school for their children, while others who are desperate to return an absent child to the classroom feel they are “on their own”.

The cost of this must not be underestimated. Each day of absence loses an estimated £750 in lifetime earnings, meaning extra absence in 2024/25 as compared to 2018/19 could result in an estimated loss of lifetime earnings among school leavers of £21.5 billion.

The think tank’s plan to end the crisis for good called for extra ‘mentors’ to help struggling parents as well as tougher penalties for families of repeatedly truanting pupils.

Recommendations included:

• A new mandatory Attendance Awareness course for families of truanting pupils, highlighting the damage done to life prospects by absence and modelled on classes for speeding motorists, with fines of up to £200 for parents who refuse to attend sessions
• The national rollout of ‘attendance mentors’ to help parents with severely absent pupils with complex needs or SEND, drawing from the most effective local models
• An additional five hours a week of extracurricular activities and enrichment, provided by local community groups, including a Right to Sport, two hours per week of physical activity
• Expanding the roll out of Family Hubs and new teacher training on parental engagement
• A new drive to expand work experience opportunities for young people, reconnecting the link between classrooms and the workplace

Notes to editors

• The CSJ’s latest School Absence Tracker will be available here by 5pm. A CSJ spokesperson is available for interview.
• In September 2025, the Centre for Social Justice published a major report, Absent Ambition, on the increasingly entrenched absence crisis, outlining a comprehensive plan for reform.
• Figure 1: Severe absence termly figures (Source: CSJ analysis of DfE data, 2026). Absence varies seasonally, with autumn terms lowest and summer terms typically highest.

Figure 1