What percentage of Welsh students from disadvantaged backgrounds were persistently absent from school in the academic year 2023-2024?
Improving levels of attendance at school, including for the most disadvantaged learners, continues to be one of my top priorities. We know there is a strong link between school attendance and attainment. Eligibility for free school meals (FSM) is commonly used as a proxy for disadvantage for pupils in schools. The table below shows the percentage of pupils aged 5 to 15 in maintained schools eligible for FSM who were persistently absent. A pupil is defined as persistently absent if they are absent for more than 10% of half day school sessions.
Table 1: Persistent absence of pupils aged 5 to 15 in maintained schools who are eligible for free school meals
|
Year |
% of pupils eligible for FSM who were persistently absent |
|
2018/19 |
30.4 |
|
2023/24 |
45.1 |
Sources:
2018/19 data from annual attendance data collection.
2023/24 data from weekly management information.