Attendance: Under the Spotlight

Attendance has been a major focus for schools for some time, but it remains one of the clearest indicators of pupil risk, need and future outcomes. It is not just a reporting metric. It is an early warning sign, a safeguarding signal and often a reflection of how well the system around a child is working.

The Department for Education’s statutory guidance is clear: schools, trusts and local authorities all have a role to play in improving attendance, supporting families and stepping in early when absence patterns start to emerge. Attendance is everybody’s business.

The latest national picture shows why this still matters. Overall and persistent absence have improved, but attendance remains well below pre-pandemic levels and severe absence has risen sharply over the longer term.

Beneath the headline figures

In 2024/25, overall absence sat at 5.20% in primary schools, 8.44% in secondary schools and 12.76% in special schools. Illness remained the most common reason for absence, but disadvantage continues to shape the national picture.

Pupils eligible for free school meals had an overall absence rate almost twice that of pupils not eligible and were more than two and a half times as likely to be persistently absent.

Understanding risk and vulnerability

Recent discussion has also sharpened the focus on vulnerable groups. Pupils with autism spectrum disorder missed nearly 11% of sessions in mainstream and special schools in 2024/25, while more than 28% were classed as persistently absent.

The attendance challenge is not simply about pushing up percentages. It is about understanding barriers, identifying risk early and making sure support reaches the right pupils.

Attendance is more than a headline percentage

Schools need to know more than whether attendance is up or down. They need to know which pupils are slipping, which cohorts are driving change, where patterns are emerging and which trends are becoming entrenched before they become severe.

Trusts need this view across all schools. School leaders need it within their own setting. Pastoral and inclusion teams need it at pupil level. That is where better data analysis becomes essential.

Spotting patterns before they become persistent

A strong attendance strategy is no longer just about registers, follow-up calls and monthly summaries. It is about tracking attendance from multiple angles and acting on it quickly: understanding trust-wide trends, comparing schools, reviewing cohorts, drilling down into pupil-level patterns and spotting streaks before they become longer-term habits.

It means identifying the pupils whose attendance may still look acceptable on paper, but whose recent pattern suggests they may be starting to disengage.

A clearer, more actionable view

Purple gives trusts and schools a clearer, deeper and more actionable view of attendance. At trust level, leaders can review attendance across all schools, compare patterns and identify where support may be needed most. At school level, leaders can analyse trends by year group, key pupil groups and wider cohorts.

Why attendance streaks matter

Purple helps schools look beyond a single percentage by analysing attendance streaks and patterns over time. A positive streak can show that support is working. A broken streak can act as an early sign that a pupil may be slipping back, making it easier to offer timely support.

Attendance will remain a national priority because it touches safeguarding, inclusion, attainment, wellbeing and long-term life chances. Schools and trusts need clearer insight, earlier warning signs and better tools to act on what the data is telling them.