Persistent absences from Doncaster secondary schools reducing following post-pandemic increase

Doncaster Council’s latest Finance Performance Report for the first quarter of 2023 has shown that its rankings in terms of national school attendance have improved.

The council’s rank in terms of secondary school attendances has risen from 136 to 104 out of 151 local authorities across the country.

Following national lockdown, absences sharply increased with one fifth of secondary pupils in Doncaster persistently absent last year.

The Centre for Education and Youth attributed the rise to factors such as pupils’ mental health suffering from lockdown and increasing pressures on parents to afford costs associated with school.

128 children across the borough continue to be missing from education, meaning that they are not enrolled in a school or have been absent for a long-term period.

Each child is assigned an officer by the council to investigate the location of family and the reasons for their absence.