Attendance and absence

The overall attendance rate for 2022/23 was 90.2%. This means that of all the possible half-days (openings) that all pupils could have attended school, they were recorded as attending for 90.2% of those openings.

From 2010/11 pupils' rate of attendance was relatively stable, increasing from 93.1% to 93.7% in 2014/15. This was followed by consecutive decreases, with the largest single-year drop from 92.0% in 2020/21 down to 90.2% in 2022/23. The decrease in attendance in 2022/23 was caused by an increase in both authorised and unauthorised absences. However, authorised absence showed the biggest increase, from 4.7% in 2020/21 to 6.1% in 2022/23 (Figure 30).

Within the authorised absence category, sickness (without education provision) is the biggest reason for absence. It was also the biggest contributor to the increase in authorised absence, rising from 3.5% of all openings in 2020/21 to 5.0% in 2022/23.

Within the unauthorised absence category, unexplained absence (including truancy) is the biggest reason for absence. However, the biggest contributor to the increase in unauthorised absence from 2020/21 to 2022/23 was unauthorised holidays, which accounted for 0.9% of all openings, the highest since 2010/11.

Figure 31 shows that overall attendance is higher for male (90.4%) than female (90.1%) pupils. This is driven by secondary and special school attendance but the pattern is reversed in primary schools (male 92.1%; female 92.3%).

Figure 32 shows attendance by ethnicity, with overall attendance highest in the ‘Black/African/Caribbean’ grouping (94.1%) and very little difference between the other ethnicity categories (range from 89.5% to 91.4%). This pattern is similar between sectors.

Figure 33 shows that pupils with additional support needs had a lower overall attendance rate than pupils with no additional support needs (87.5% compared with 91.6%), with the difference being greater in secondary school.

Pupils living in the most deprived areas had lower attendance rates in all sectors than those living in the least deprived areas. Across all sectors, pupils living in the 20% most deprived areas had an attendance rate of 86.8% compared to 93.5% for those living in the 20% least deprived areas. This effect was the greatest in secondary schools, with pupils living in the least deprived areas having an attendance rate 8.2 percentage points higher than those living in the most deprived areas (Figure 33).

Figure 34 shows that in 2022/23 the attendance rate in local authorities ranged from 88.4% (West Dunbartonshire) to 93.0% (East Renfrewshire) and 95.4% in the grant-aided mainstream school (Jordanhill). The attendance rate fell between 2020/21 and 2022/23 for every local authority and in Jordanhill.

Figure 30 Attendance and absence by detailed reason, 2010/11 to 2022/23 [Note 1]

Note 1: Detailed absence reasons will be affected by differing reporting practices across local authorities and over time. Overall absence and attendance are comparable.

Note 2: Attendance and absence reporting in 2020/21 was impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. Figures for 2020/21 shown here are only for when schools were open and so are comparable to other years. Please see the background notes for more information.

Note 3: COVID-19 codes were only available in the 2020/21 collection.

Note 4: Includes part-time timetable (exclusion related) and part-time timetable (health related). Please see the background notes for more information.

Figure 31 Attendance by sex, percentage of half days, 2022/23

Figure 32 Attendance by ethnicity, percentage of half days, 2022/23

Figure 33 Attendance by additional support need and SIMD, percentage of half days, 2022/23

Note 1: Pupils that were not matched to the Pupil Census have not been included.

Note 2: SIMD data not available for 12,160 pupil enrolments (1.67% of the total) including the pupils not matched to the Pupil Census. Please see the background notes for more information.

Figure 34 Attendance by Local Authority, percentage of half days, 2010/11 to 2022/23

Note 1: Includes the mainstream grant-aided school, Jordanhill, only. Grant-aided special schools are not included in the attendance collection.