In 2024, the spring term began the same week as New Year’s Day, and this was the week with the highest number of absences since the start of this academic year.
The data shows absences from the week commencing September 11, 2023, through to February 5, 2024.
In Bromley, the highest rate of unauthorised absences in secondary schools was during the week commencing January 1, 2024, with a rate of 4.99.
The next week with the highest rate of unauthorised absences was February 5, 2024, with a rate of 4.23.
In the week commencing December 11 the rate of unauthorised absences was 4.07, the next highest from the data.
On the other hand, the week with the lowest rate of unauthorised absences was the week commencing September 18, 2023, when the rate was 2.59.
The next week with few pupils off school for unauthorised reasons was September 25, with a rate of 2.61.
This was closely followed by the week commencing September 11, 2023, when the rate was 2.68.
These figures are automatically submitted to the Department of Education (DfE) by participating schools.
The figures also relate to the attendance of pupils in state-funded primary, secondary, and special schools in England for the current academic year (2023/24) from September 11 to February 9, 2024.
An unauthorised absence refers to a child’s absence from school without proper permission or justification, which can result in penalties, such as fines.
There are many reasons why parents might take their children out of school in the middle of the school year, with one being to avoid peak holiday costs.
