Summer term unauthorised absence rates drop

New analysis of government attendance data by Access Education shows that fewer children across England missed school during the Summer term this year.

The ‘School Performance Crisis Report’ found that, in the recent academic year, the total number of unauthorised holidays in the Summer term has decreased by 14%, dropping from 1,926,968 in the academic year 2023/2024 to 1,656,419 in 2024/2025, possibly as a result of the rise in penalty fines last August. 

Access Education analysed Department for Education pupil attendance data from 3,000 state-funded secondary schools across regions in England, for the 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 academic years. 

Regionally, the North East saw the biggest decrease in unauthorised holidays in the Summer term at 20.2%, falling from 158,106 to 126,181. Following this was Yorkshire and the South West which decreased by 16.7% and 16.2%, respectively.

Meanwhile, London only saw a 9.8% fall, from 145,924 to 131,629, yet across the entire academic year, unauthorised absences in the capital spiked by 13.7%. This comes as the total number of unauthorised absences across England increased slightly by 2.6%, despite the rise in fines.

Despite this, the total number of unauthorised absences throughout the entire academic year continued to increase by 2.6%. Regionally, however, the South West, Yorkshire and the North East still saw a decrease.

The report further revealed that the Autumn term, running from September to December, saw the largest increase in holiday absences, rising 24% to 1,397,978 nationally in the 2024/2025 academic year, with every region experiencing a rise. This could be due to many parents choosing to take their children out of school to avoid peak holiday costs in the run-up to Christmas.

Emma Slater, a former Head of English and Lead Practitioner, commented: “The ‘School Performance Crisis Report’ has demonstrated that, although the increase in school fines has had an impact on the number of unauthorised absences, there is still a long way to go. While the final weeks of term often slow down with learning, they are critical for rounding off the curriculum, setting the pupils up for the next school year and resolving any issues that students have. 

“However, parents and teachers need to work together in order to tackle this absenteeism crisis. It is essential that the significance of student attendance is communicated to parents so that they, too, can become advocates for students staying in school until the term ends.

“While parents have access to engagement software, it is equally the responsibility of teachers to maintain pupil engagement throughout the academic year. Using this software can help all parties monitor student progress, identify areas where support is needed, and stay informed about key topics being taught, which is vital when advancing through the school years. 

“Although pupil absenteeism cannot be eliminated instantly, current trends indicate a gradual decline, pointing to an opportunity to substantially reduce unauthorised holiday absences in the coming academic years.”