Trajectories of School Absences and Pupils' Academic Performance

There has been a significant and worrying increase in school absenteeism rates in the UK since schools reopened after the pandemic. In England, for example, the overall absence rate rose from 4.3% in the Autumn term of 2018 to 7.5% in the Autumn term of 2022 (Department for Education, 2023). Data from Scotland show a 2.4% increase in absences between the 2018/19 and the 2020/21 academic year, with particular increases among secondary and special school students (Scottish Government, 2022). Similar trends in school absence have been recorded in Wales and Northern Ireland (Department for Education Northern Ireland, 2023; Welsh Government, 2023)