Introduction

Schools are required to take attendance registers twice a day. This is done at the beginning of the morning and afternoon sessions. Some schools also call class registers at the start of each lesson.

Where a day pupil of compulsory school age is absent, schools have to indicate in their register whether the absence is authorised by the school or unauthorised. Local education authorities (LEAs) are responsible in law for making sure that pupils attend school.

These pages contain tables which show the following, for day pupils of compulsory school age:

• levels of authorised and unauthorised absence from maintained primary schools (including middle schools deemed primary) in each local education authority area;

• levels of authorised and unauthorised absence from maintained secondary schools (including middle schools deemed secondary) in each local education authority area; and

• the national position, broken down by different types of school.

A maintained school is a grant-maintained (GM) school or a school that is funded by a local education authority.

Authorised absence is absence with permission from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes instances of absence for which a satisfactory explanation has been provided (eg illness).

Unauthorised absence is absence without permission from a teacher or other authorised representative of the school. This includes all unexplained or unjustified absences.

The tables show the percentage of half days missed due to authorised and unauthorised absence in the 1996/97 school year up to and including 23 May 1997. To place these figures in context, the tables also include the average number of half days missed per absent pupil.

Number of day pupils of compulsory school age means day pupils of compulsory school age (5-16) in responding schools.

LEAs are listed alphabetically. For purposes of comparison average figures for different types of school are included.

You can get copies of the printed version of this information, free of charge, by ringing 0800 24 23 22 or by writing to:

School and College Performance Tables
Department for Education and Employment
FREEPOST LON 10345
London SW1P 3YS

This service will be available until 31 January 1998. Thereafter copies will be available only from the DfEE Publications Centre, PO Box 5050, Sudbury, Suffolk CO10 6ZQ. Telephone 0845 60 222 60.

First published 18 November 1997