The latest figures from the Department for Education suggest school absence is at a record high in England, with more than 170,000 children being “severely absent” and missing for at least half their lessons last year.
In 2023-24, the number of those who were “persistently absent” and missed 10% or more of their school sessions, was about 1.49 million, which is about one in five pupils. However, the overall absence rate decreased from 7.4% the previous year to 7.1%.
Among the scores of parents who responded to a Guardian callout, the majority said their children were absent because of mainstream schools being unable to meet the needs of those who were neurodivergent. Whether they were pupils with Send, autism or other conditions, most respondents said their children felt “anxious” and “overwhelmed” by their school environment.
According to the government data, children with caring responsibilities, with special needs or on free school meals continue to be absent at far higher rates than others.
Jo, 53, has a 15-year-old daughter who is waiting for a diagnosis of autism and ADHD. She said she felt that not having the diagnosis was an “obstacle” to getting the support her daughter needed. “This week she’s been in school for about an hour for two days,” Jo said.
Jo, who lives in Rotherham and is a single parent to two children and carer for her youngest daughter, said her 15-year-old had been absent from school for most of the past six months because of finding it “overwhelming” and “rigid”.
By receiving universal credit, her daughter is eligible for free school meals though is unable to claim this because of school absences. “It’s a real struggle, but as a parent you just get on with it,” Jo added.
In 2024, Jo said she received a letter from the school threatening to fine her and take her to court if her daughter did not return. “The head said it was a generic letter that is sent out after a period of absence, but my 21-year-old daughter, who is also autistic, saw it and was frightened I was going to prison.
“Last week, I was told by the school that the local authority said they will consider prosecuting me. My daughter only has eight weeks left [before study leave] so we’ll be gone before we get a court date. It’s such a waste of money.”
Many of the parents who got in touch said they felt school absence was partly due to the Covid pandemic and the lack of contact children had during lockdowns. This meant the transition from smaller primary schools to secondary schools with nearly 1,000 pupils left children feeling “scared” and unable to cope with the change.
Victoria McMunn’s 11-year-old daughter, who is autistic and has selective mutism, is one of those pupils. “She was masking to fit in but last Christmas she had a burnout and started to have panic attacks,” said the 44-year-old from North Yorkshire.
She said her daughter’s primary school was a “nurturing environment” but that the move to a larger school was difficult and her daughter had been absent since February. “Having different teachers and hundreds of pupils moving around several times a day was too much – she wouldn’t cross the school’s threshold. If she was an adult I think she would be signed off work,” said McMunn, a worship leader in an Anglican church.
To accommodate her daughter, McMunn has reduced her working week from four days to half a day but said she was lucky to be financially supported by her husband, who is a church minister. After a two-year wait, her daughter now has an EHCP. “It’s all come a bit too late to make a difference,” said McMunn.
Other parents said chronic health conditions, including long Covid, had made it nearly impossible for their child to attend school regularly. Some parents have deregistered their children or are providing them with an education otherwise than at school (EOTAS).
For Liz in Hitchin, Hertfordshire, long-term illness has meant her 13-year-old daughter has found it difficult to attend school regularly for the past five years. “She’s missed out on so many things,” Liz said.
Her daughter’s attendance was about 30% but gradually declined because of health issues. The teenager has since been diagnosed with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME) and postural tachycardia syndrome (PoTS).
after newsletter promotion
With an EHCP, her daughter has funding for EOTAS and does online school at home. “As a former senco [special education needs coordinator] it makes me furious to hear about long-term absence and not recognising the reasons for it,” said Liz, 46, who now co-owns a children’s bookshop.
“To say it’s just holidays during term-time or other unauthorised absence is really belittling. There’s a lot of children who are actually just sick and not getting better.
“Schools just aren’t set up to get the best out of these children and sometimes make it worse. Parents need to know there are alternative pathways that can do just as much good, it doesn’t have to be just mainstream school.”
Some parents felt their schools were supportive and understanding about their situation, whereas others felt “ignored”. However, nearly all agreed that a lack of resources and funding were the main reasons children were missing out on an education. Others, such as Sonoko Obuchi, felt that moving out of a large city could help.
Obuchi moved with her husband and two children from London to Derbyshire four years ago after her son refused to go to school at the beginning of 2021. “He came out as transgender at the same time he didn’t want to go to school,” said Obuchi, 42, who is a freelance designer.
For three and a half years, her son, who is autistic, stayed at home and had one-to-one tutoring. In September 2024, he returned to school and Obuchi said they feel really supported. “We’ve been really lucky. Schools are already stretched but ours were patient and didn’t fine us for his absence.
“It can be really isolating for children who are away from school, but the help we received helped bridge the gap between the worst days and trying to get my son back into an education setting.”