From illnesses, to unauthorised term-time holidays, to children slipping through the cracks and going missing from education, many different factors can drive absences up.
But parents and schools which work together to make sure children miss as little class time as possible may be helping to set them up for a lifetime of success.
The Government’s latest absence and attendance figures, covering the full 2023/24 school year show that the country’s overall absence rate - the percentage of half-days missed for all pupils - still lingers well above pre-pandemic figures. One in five pupils were also labelled ‘persistently absent’, meaning they missed at least 10% of these half-day sessions.
This can take its toll on a child’s education, even for younger pupils. A recent Department for Education report found that primary pupils who attended school nearly every day in Year 6 were 1.3 times more likely to meet the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths compared to pupils who only attended 90-95% of the time. This means missing just 10 days of school cuts down their chances by around 25%.
The Doncaster Council area alone has more than 100 primary schools, and to help keep local parents in the loop, we’ve taken a look at the data to find the state-funded schools that managed to keep overall absence rates particularly low. Only schools with absence rates below 4.5% have been included in our league table - including infant and junior schools - a phenomenal achievement for any school community.
Here were the 14 schools that made the cut:
9. Arksey Primary School
This is a smaller local authority-maintained primary school in the village of Arksey, with about 74 pupils - a very high proportion of them meeting Government reading, writing, and maths targets. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 4.4%. | Google
10. Barnburgh Primary Academy
Another village school, this primary academy is in Barnburgh. It has about 219 pupils, and boasts an above average academic performance. In the 2023/24 school year, it too had an overall absence rate of 4.4%. | Google
11. Edlington Victoria Academy
This is a primary academy in Edlington, with a higher-than-average level of children meeting key performance targets, and a roll size of about 295. In the 2023/24 school year, it again had an overall absence rate of 4.4%. | Google
12. St Oswald's CofE Academy
St Oswald’s is an Anglican primary academy out in Finningley, a strong academic performer with about 229 pupils. In the 2023/24 school year, it also had an overall absence rate of 4.4%. | Google