Northern children with special educational needs more likely to miss school

The Child of the North report reveals that vulnerable children and those from disadvantaged areas of the UK are at greater risk of not being able to attend school.

The report calls on the new Government to focus its school absenteeism strategy on early identification and intervention of children most at risk of persistent absence.

An evidence-based plan to improve school attendance.” is the tenth in a monthly series of twelve Children of the North/Young Life Center reports published in 2024 to support the Government’s ambitious Opportunity Mission vision for children. Each report shows how putting children’s interests and life chances at the heart of policy making and implementation is crucial to Britain’s future success.

We urgently need to create an education system that identifies and supports children at risk of dropping out of school before they fall behind; so every child, regardless of background, has a chance to succeed.


Professor Mark Mon-Williams, School of Psychology

This latest report comes just days after the Department for Education’s latest data showed nearly 150,000 children in England were missing half or more of their time at school. Although the number of children who are absent has decreased, this serious absenteeism crisis continues to grow.

School absence is associated with a range of negative secondary effects on children’s physical health, mental well-being, workforce participation, and interaction with the criminal justice system. In 2018-19, only 36% of children who were persistently absent achieved expected grades in English and Maths, compared to 78% of children who rarely attended school. Children who are persistently absent are approximately 4 times more likely to be Not in Education, Employment or Training (NEET).

Professor Mark Mon WilliamsHead of Cognitive Psychology at the University of Leeds and editor of the Child of the North report series, said: “The crisis in school attendance goes beyond numbers; It represents the life chances of thousands of children. When children don’t go to school, they don’t just miss classes; they are at risk of potential danger and losing opportunities for healthy development.

“We urgently need to create an education system that identifies and supports children at risk of dropping out before they fall behind, so that every child, whatever their background, has the chance to succeed.

“The future of the UK depends on everyone supporting schools to be inclusive places where all children and young people feel they belong.”

School absences can also be a safety issue, and children who miss school may be at greater risk of crime or sexual abuse and/or serious violence.

The reasons for absenteeism are complex

The report warns that the current national approach to tackling school absenteeism is overly punitive and uniform. Many school principals say the strategies used to combat school absenteeism before the pandemic are no longer as effective as they were before 2020.

Between 2015-16 and 2023-24 the overall school absence rate in England increased by 57%. The report highlights how absenteeism in primary school is linked to a child being more absent in later years. It also reveals higher levels of school absenteeism in disadvantaged areas; for example:

  • Unauthorized absence rates were 34% higher in Northern England than in Southern England.
  • In Northern England, where the rates of continuous absence without permission are highest, it is accepted that on average 1 in 10 children are constantly absent for unauthorized reasons.
  • The overall permanent absence rate was highest in the South West (22.2%) and Yorkshire and The Humber (22.1%), while Outer London recorded the lowest overall permanent absence rate at 18.7%.
  • Children in northern England have experienced longer COVID-19 lockdowns and continue to face higher levels of poverty and reduced education funding. There are more local authorities in the North with higher rates of both school absenteeism and higher deprivation.

The report suggests that the reasons for children’s absence from school are complex and there are multiple risk factors that lead to absenteeism, including greater inequality and issues of deprivation, marginalisation, Special Educational Needs, mental health problems, dental caries and family. and parental factors. Even within local areas, school attendance rates can vary. For example, through analysis of the Connected Bradford population-linked research database, the report reveals large variations in school attendance rates across Bradford District. One Bradford district showed a rate of unauthorized absences 22 times higher than the district with the lowest rate. In some districts, 80% of total unauthorized absences are due to approximately 12% of students.

Anne Longfield, Chief Executive of the Center for Young Lives, said: “The reasons why children miss school are often complex and there is no silver bullet. But the one-size-fits-all and often punitive approach adopted by previous Governments to tackle absenteeism needs to be left in the past. Simply put, threatening parents with fines does not work for many families and does not reduce serious absenteeism rates.”

The report also shows how vulnerable children are at higher risk of being absent from school:

  • For the 2023-24 academic year, persistent absence rates were 20.7% overall, rising to 37% for students from disadvantaged backgrounds and 35.7% for students receiving free school meals.
  • The persistent absenteeism rate for students with an Educational Health Plan was 37.6%; This rate was significantly higher than that of students without special needs (18.6%).
  • Attendance for girls at Key Stage 4, who have special educational needs and are eligible for the pupil premium (additional funding at school level to support disadvantaged pupils) in 2024, was just 77%.
  • Autistic students experience high rates of persistent absence, with a rate of 31% in 2020-21.
  • 39% of students identified as young carers were consistently absent from school.
  • Children with short-term social worker involvement experienced higher rates of absenteeism/persistent absence and exclusion.

The report includes a number of policy recommendations to combat the school absenteeism crisis:

Improving early intervention for children at risk of absenteeism

Central and local government should support schools to implement early identification of pupils at risk of persistent absence, with a focus on those from disadvantaged backgrounds, children with special educational needs (SEN) and those living in areas of high deprivation. Interventions should include targeted support plans, regular attendance monitoring, and collaboration between schools, social services, and health providers to address underlying issues such as mental health and family stress.

Schools should establish early screening methods to identify at-risk students before attendance problems escalate. In some cases, mentoring programs should be offered where trained mentors provide both academic and emotional support. Mentors can build positive relationships and help students stay engaged in their education by offering guidance.

Schools should be supported to engage parents in creating realistic, individual support plans that address both academic and personal challenges.

Developing a sense of belonging and inclusion in schools

The government – ​​through frameworks such as Ofsted – should reward schools that emphasize relational approaches, promoting inclusive environments that help students feel valued and safe. Schools should focus on creating a supportive culture through peer support systems, extracurricular activities, and a focus on mental health.

Ensuring children feel connected to the school community can increase attendance rates and reduce disengagement. This should include supporting schools to provide extracurricular activities, enrichment programmes, peer support systems and volunteer opportunities to help children feel engaged and develop a sense of identity within school.

Developing cross-service collaboration for holistic support

National and local government should promote closer collaboration between education, health services and social services to provide integrated support for students facing complex challenges. Schools should serve as multi-agency outreach centers, ensuring that health and social issues are addressed in the school setting, reducing barriers to school attendance, and improving overall well-being.

Coordinated support from multiple institutions and multi-agency partnerships involving local authorities, community organizations and health services are required. These partnerships can help identify the root causes of absenteeism (whether due to mental health, family circumstances, or other factors), and then networks can work collaboratively to provide targeted, individualized support. Local Authorities should play a central role in facilitating this approach.

Former President of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, Dr. Camilla Kingdon said: “Each of these groups represents a part of our future and we cannot let them down in the ways described in this report. “The solutions are complex, but time is of the essence, and I appreciate the policy recommendations laid out in this 10th report from the Center for Young Lives/Child of the North.”

More information

For further information please contact the University of Leeds press office at [email protected].

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