School attendance matters because learning in school is cumulative: lessons build, relationships become stronger, routines support confidence and repetition results in goals being achieved.
The Government figures on pupil absence in schools in England for the academic year 2024/25 show a modest improvement overall, but also a continuing challenge for schools. Overall, absence fell compared with 2023/24, yet severe absence rose and remains well above pre pandemic levels.
I am publishing this piece for parents and carers who seek an understanding of the national picture, want an explanation of what the attendance figures mean, why pupils are absent, and where unauthorised term time holiday absence fits into the picture. I have covered the latest data on holiday absences in a separate blog. In this article I also highlight what the Government is doing to improve attendance, and where you can find practical support and legal guidance if you need it.
The headline picture for 2024-25
Across the 2024/25 academic year, the overall absence rate in state funded schools was 6.78%, down from 7.15% in 2023/24.
The persistent absence rate (pupils missing 10% or more of sessions) was 18.14%, down from 19.95%.
However, severe absence (missing 50% or more of sessions) increased to 2.39%, up from 2.30%, and remains far above the pre pandemic benchmark cited in the same release.
A key point for parents is that nationally, attendance is improving slowly, but too many pupils are still missing significant amounts of school, and that the most vulnerable groups continue to be disproportionately affected.
How do schools record absence?
Understanding the education jargon helps, especially if you receive an attendance letter from school or your local authority.
Sessions and absence rates
Attendance is recorded in sessions. One session equals half a day, and the national absence rate is the proportion of sessions missed.
Authorised vs unauthorised absence
Schools record absence either as authorised (accepted by the school) or unauthorised (not accepted). In 2024/25 both authorised and unauthorised absence fell slightly overall, with authorised at 4.48% and unauthorised at 2.30%.
Persistent absence and severe absence
A pupil is counted as persistently absent if they miss, over the course of a full academic year, 10% or more of possible sessions, and severely absent if they miss 50% or more.
Those thresholds are important because schools and local authorities use them to decide when attendance support should be intensified, and when formal interventions may be considered. The Government’s attendance guidance is built around early identification and a supportive approach, particularly where pupils are persistently absent.
Why were pupils absent in 2024-25?
The national statistics identify the most common reason for absence as illness, which accounted for 3.22% of possible sessions in 2024/25. Ilness is an authorised absence.
After illness, the next largest categories in the Government release are unauthorised other (1.56%), unauthorised holiday (0.48%), and authorised other (0.40%).
Those categories matter because they tell a story that many parents will recognise:
- Illness and health-related absence remains the biggest driver.
- Unauthorised other is a range of reasons and can include patterns that reflect anxiety, school refusal, transport issues, unmet needs, or disengagement.
- Unauthorised holiday absence is smaller than illness in national terms, but it is highly visible to schools and often triggers formal action because it is avoidable and tends to cluster around particular times of year.
Absence increased through the year, peaking in the summer term, with the release noting that unauthorised absence rose across terms and that the summer increase was driven largely by unauthorised other and partly by higher levels of unauthorised holidays.
Are term time school holidays allowed?
The short answer is that term time holidays will not be allowed by schools, in the vast majority of cases.
That has two practical consequences:
- If you take your child out of school for a holiday in term time, the absence is likely to be recorded as unauthorised.
- Unauthorised absence is the category most likely to lead to penalty notices and escalation, particularly when thresholds are met.
School holiday fines and penalty notices
My separate blog explains how school holiday fines in England operate in practice, including the national framework and the current penalty amounts. In summary, it explains that the standard penalty notice amounts are £80 per parent if paid within 21 days or £160 per parent if paid within 28 days, and that repeated fines can escalate, with a cap before other action is considered.
It also explains that decision makers are required to consider a penalty notice when a child has missed 10 or more sessions for unauthorised reasons (usually five school days).
If you are weighing up a term time holiday, it is worth reading that blog in full before booking, because families may underestimate the “per parent” and “per child” structure and the impact of repeat absences. Here is the link: School holiday fines for parents: what parents need to know before booking a term time holiday.
What the Government is doing to improve attendance
Attendance is framed by the Government as a shared responsibility. Schools, families, local authorities and wider services all have an interest and a role to play in ensuring children are in school. That theme runs through statutory guidance and more recent policy announcements.
1. Statutory guidance: Working together to improve school attendance
The Department for Education’s “Working together to improve school attendance” guidance is aimed at maintaining high levels of attendance and sets out roles, support expectations, and the legal tools available when support does not work.
It emphasises understanding the reasons for absence, providing support to parents where barriers exist, and using legal intervention where needed. For parents, the key message is that schools are expected to engage early, track patterns carefully and work with families. Where families do not work in tandem with schools there are national expectations around enforcement when absence is unauthorised and persistent.
2. Attendance and behaviour
In August 2025 the Government outlined a package of measures to tackle behaviour and attendance, including RISE Attendance and Behaviour Hubs supporting an initial cohort of schools. That programme is now being rolled out across the country. It is a call for parents to play their part.
3. The schools white paper: Every Child Achieving and Thriving
The February 2026 schools white paper repeatedly connects attendance with inclusion, behaviour, and family engagement. It sets an ambition to raise attendance to over 94% by 2028/29 (equating to 20 million more days in school each year) and describes measures including attendance and behaviour hubs, improved data tools and parental engagement.
The white paper also identifies poor attendance as an early indicator of need and links attendance improvement to multi agency support, including mental health support teams.
Practical steps for parents: improving attendance
Most parents do not need legal advice. They need clarity, a plan, and a supportive conversation with their child’s school. Here are some practical steps that align with the national guidance.
1. Treat attendance as a safeguarding and wellbeing issue
The national guidance is explicit that barriers can be complex and that support should be provided, especially where absence is becoming persistent or severe.
If your child is anxious, bullied, struggling with friendships, or showing signs of school refusal that lead you to be concerned about safeguarding, raise it early and ask what support the school can put in place.
2. Be proactive with health and appointments
Illness is the reason for most absences.
Where you can, book routine appointments outside school hours and keep your child’s school informed about longer term health issues. If your child has ongoing medical needs, discuss reasonable adjustments and attendance support rather than letting absence drift.
3. Understand the risks around term time holidays
As holidays in term time are treated as unauthorised, they carry a predictable enforcement risk.
If cost pressures are pushing you towards term time travel, consider alternatives. Perhaps different dates, shorter trips, or travel during inset adjacent windows where the school calendar allows. It is important not to assume a holiday will be authorised. For a detailed explanation of fines and thresholds, see my detailed piece on this topic.
4. Ask what support is available before things escalate
The Government guidance is designed to make support clearer and earlier, particularly for pupils at risk of persistent or severe absence.
If your child has special educational needs, an Education Health and Care Plan, or mental health challenges, ask the school what attendance support plan is appropriate, and what referrals or services are available.