Parents probably know all too well that in order for children to get the most out of their education, they need to attend school as often as possible.
But across England, absence rates don’t really reflect the importance of good attendance. The Government’s latest absence and attendance figures, covering the full 2023/24 school year, show that the overall absence rate - the percentage of half-days missed for all pupils - sits at a lofty 7.1%, well above pre-pandemic figures. One in five pupils were also ‘persistently absent’, meaning they missed at least 10% of these half-day sessions.
A recent Department for Education report has highlighted just how much these absences add up, even at a primary school level. It found that 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 their chances by around 25%.
We’ve taken a deep dive into how state-funded primary schools - including infant and junior schools - across the Portsmouth, Southampton, and Hampshire County council areas did when it came to pupils missing class for any reason over the last academic year. We’ve used this data to create a league table celebrating the success of local school communities who’ve kept their absence rates low.
Here were the 14 Hampshire schools that led the pack:
1. Talavera Junior School
At the top of the list is this local authority-maintained junior school in Aldershot, which takes pupils from age 7 to 11. It has a roll size of about 446, and a notably higher proportion of pupils meeting the Government’s expected standard in reading, writing and maths than both the local and national averages. In the 2023/24 school year, it had a low overall absence rate of just 2.4%. | File Photo/Adobe Stock
2. Langrish Primary School
This is a local authority-maintained primary school in the village of Stroud, just west of Petersfield. It has about 212 pupils, and boasts a strong academic performance. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 2.7%. | Google
3. Amport Church of England Primary School
This is a local authority-maintained Anglican primary school in Amport, near Andover. Another which surpasses national and local averages for pupils meeting expected standards, it has a roll size of about 97. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 2.9%. | Google
4. Heatherside Junior School
Heatherside is a local authority-maintained junior school in Fleet, which takes pupils from age 7 to 11. It is an above average performer, with about 378 pupils. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 3%. | Google