Higher education strained as English entrants decrease
Universities face further strain as the number of English entrants decreases, amidst government funding cuts and a continued fall in international student numbers. This follows government efforts to crack down on international students, with a leading think tank warning of the potential harm to struggling UK cities. This morning, the Department for Education released new higher education […]
School absences remain high as think tank warns of unemployment risk
Pupil absence rates remain well above pre-pandemic figures, as leading think tank warns of unemployment risk if urgent action is not taken. The Department for Education has published new figures on pupil absence in schools, revealing a 6.38% overall absence rate during the autumn term 2024/25. This is a decrease from 6.69% the year before, […]
London free school meals’ pupils outperform in higher education progression, lifting national figures
Majority of inner London pupils claiming free school meals pursued higher education in the academic year 2023/24, new figures show. This is well above the national average. The Department for Education has published a new statistical release measuring higher education (HE) progression among pupils in state funded schools by age 19. The figures reveal that […]
Surge in number of EHCPs in England amid rising demand
In England, the number of active Education, Health and Care plans increased by 11% over the year, new figures show. This comes as 15.8% more plans were started in 2024 than the year before. This morning, the Department for Education published its yearly statistical release on Education, Health and Care (EHC) plans. An Education, Health […]
Rate of pupils eligible for free school meals increases ahead of expansion of eligibility requirements
New figures reveal an increase in the rate of pupils eligible for free-school meals, as the government announced this week an expansion of eligibility requirements. This morning, the Department for Education has released new statistics on school and pupil characteristics in England, revealing an over the year increase of nearly 1% in the rate of […]
School Absences Drop in England with Persistent Absence Down 1.8%
Pupil absence rates in England drop by 0.4% in overall absence and 1.8% in persistent absences over the year, new figures show. The Department for Education has released new statistics on pupil attendance for the academic year 2024/2025 to date (9th September to 18th May), showing an 18% persistent and a 6.7% overall absence rate […]
School suspension numbers increase by 12%, as South East sees highest rates
School suspension numbers have increased by 12% in the 2023/2024 spring term, new figures show. In England, suspensions were lower than those in Autumn but rose significantly from the previous year. The data published on Thursday by the Department for Education shows that 295.5k suspensions and 3.1k permanent exclusions took place in schools during Spring. […]
Nearly 50% of children in need were persistently absent from school in 2023/2024
Nearly half of children in need were persistently absent from school in 2023/2024. This is a rate of 44%, considerably higher than the 30% seen in 2020/2021, but slightly below that in 2022/2023, at 44.4%. The Department for Education has released a report on outcomes for children in need in England. A ‘Child in need’ […]
School absence rates considerably higher compared to pre-pandemic levels
In the academic year 2024/2025, 18.4% of all school absences were persistent ones. Although this represents a decrease within recent years, the rate is considerably higher than pre-pandemic levels. The Department for Education has published new data on pupil attendance in schools up until the first week of March. The data shows rate decreases across […]
Disadvantage gap in post KS4 pathways increases
The sustained pathway gap between disadvantaged and non-disadvantaged pupils has increased in recent years. Disadvantaged pupils were 9.4% less likely to have a sustained destination after Key Stage 4 than all other pupils, in the academic year of 2022/2023. Today the Education Policy Institute released its most recent report on school absence and pupil characteristics, […]