Covid-related school absences remain unbalanced across English regions

The department for education has published new data on pupil and staff attendance in education settings in England, showing a disproportionate impact on attendance across its regions.

The new figures show that around 179,000 (2.2 per cent) pupils in state-funded schools were recorded as absent from school due to Covid-related reasons on 31 March.

Overall attendance in all state-funded schools was 88.6 per cent on 31 March, down from 89.7 per cent on 17 March.

However the DfE also estimated that 8.7 per cent of teachers and school leaders were absent for any reason from open schools on 31 March, down from 9.1 per cent on 17 March.

Commenting on the school attendance figures, Jon Andrews, Head of Analysis at the Education Policy Institute said: “It is clear that the impact of the pandemic has not been evenly felt by all pupils, with different pupil groups and regions facing greater challenges than others. Our research has shown that it is pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds and those living in parts of the North and the Midlands who have been hardest hit.

“Pupil and staff absences continue to cause disruption and it is likely that the effects will be inconsistent between schools. This raises questions about how the Department for Education and Ofsted should interpret school performance measures for this year.”