Summary statistics for schools in Scotland - No. 6: 2015 Edition

This contains the results of the annual pupil census, annual teacher census, early learning and childcare data , school estates data, attendance and absence data and exclusions data.


7. Attendance and absence

93.7% Percentage attendance in 2014/15, up from 93.6% in 2012/13

Schools record information on pupils attendance and absence from school and the reasons for this. This information is used to monitor pupil engagement and also to ensure pupils safety and wellbeing by following up on pupils who do not attend school. The Scottish Government published detailed guidance in 2007 on promoting good attendance at school and effective management of absenteeism (see: http://www.gov.scot/Publications/2007/12/05100056/0 ).

Table 7.1 shows school attendance, absence and temporary exclusion rates over the period 2007/08 to 2014/15. Information on attendance and absence was not collected in 2011/12 or 2013/14, as this data is now collected only once every two years.

Variations in recording practice for reasons for absence, between local authorities and over time, means that values and comparisons for certain detailed absence reasons, sickness and truancy in particular, are not reliable. The full breakdown of categories by local authority for 2014/15 is available in the supplementary tables. These data, and Table 7.1 below, do however show levels of absence as recorded by schools. Comparisons of overall attendance, overall absence and temporary exclusions are considered valid over time and between local authorities.

Table 7.1: Percentage Attendance and Absence by detailed reason, 2007/08 to 2014/15 (1)(2)

2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2012/13 2014/15
Attendance 93.2 93.3 93.2 93.1 93.6 93.7
In school 91.4 91.4 91.3 91.1 91.7 91.6
Late 1.6 1.7 1.7 1.8 1.7 1.9
Work experience 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2 0.2
Sickness with education provision - - - - - -
Authorised absence 5.2 5.1 4.9 4.9 4.5 4.3
Sickness without education provision 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.4 3.7 3.5
Very late - - - - - -
Authorised holidays 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Exceptional domestic circumstances 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
Other authorised 1.7 1.5 1.2 1.2 0.7 0.6
Unauthorised absence 1.5 1.5 1.8 1.9 1.8 2.0
Unauthorised holidays 0.4 0.4 0.4 0.5 0.5 0.5
Unexplained absence, including truancy 0.9 0.9 1.2 1.3 1.2 1.3
Exceptional domestic circumstances - - - - - -
Other unauthorised 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1
All absences (authorised and unauthorised) 6.7 6.6 6.7 6.8 6.4 6.3
Temporary exclusion 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.1 0.0 0.0

(1) Detailed absence reasons will be affected by differing reporting practices across local authorities and over time. Overall absence and attendance are comparable.
(2) Information on attendance is now collected on a biennial basis see background note 2.4 for more information.

Since 2007/08 pupils' rate of attendance has increased from 93.2 to 93.7 per cent in 2014/15.

Table 7.2 shows the 2014/15 national attendance rate across each sector broken down by gender, ethnicity, additional support needs and the Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD, 20% most deprivation (MD) versus 20% least deprivation (LD)).

Pupils with additional support needs in mainstream schools again had a lower attendance rate than pupils with no additional support needs, with the difference again being greater in secondary school.

Pupils living in areas with higher levels of deprivation had lower attendance rates, with the effect being greater in secondary and special school. In secondary schools, pupils living in areas associated with most deprivation (based on lowest 20 per cent of the Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2012 (SIMD)) had an attendance rate 5.8 percentage points lower than the pupils living in areas associated with least deprivation.

Table 7.2: Percentage attendance by Gender, Ethnicity, Additional Support Needs and Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD 2012), by sector, 2014/15

Percentage Attendance
Primary Secondary Special Total
All Pupils 95.1 91.8 90.7 93.7
Male 95.0 92.0 90.7 93.7
Female 95.1 91.6 90.5 93.6
Ethnicity
White Scottish 95.2 91.8 90.8 93.7
White non-Scottish 94.1 91.3 90.7 93.1
Mixed or multiple ethnic groups 95.0 92.0 93.8 93.9
Asian 94.2 93.5 90.8 93.9
African/Black/Caribbean 96.5 95.2 95.1 96.0
All other ethnic groups 93.3 91.5 87.9 92.7
Not Disclosed / Not Known 94.6 90.3 90.0 93.4
Additional Support Needs1
Children with ASN 93.8 89.3 90.8 91.8
Children with no ASN 95.4 92.5 # 94.2
SIMD
Lowest 20% of SIMD (Most deprived) 93.3 88.7 89.3 91.4
Highest 20% of SIMD (Least deprived) 96.7 94.5 93.5 95.7

(1) Pupils that were not matched to the Pupil Census have not been included.

Table 7.3 shows local attendance rates over the period 2007/08 to 2014/15.

In 2014/15 the percentage attendance in Scottish local authority schools ranged from 92.4 per cent to 95.6 per cent. This range of variation in attendance rates is consistent with the preceding years.

Table 7.3: Percentage attendance by local authority, 2007/08 to 2014/15(1)

2007/08 2008/09 2009/10 2010/11 2012/13 2014/15
Aberdeen City 93.3 93.1 93.4 93.0 93.0 93.5
Aberdeenshire 94.9 94.7 94.4 94.5 94.5 94.8
Angus 94.5 94.5 94.2 94.2 94.2 94.3
Argyll & Bute 94.0 94.1 94.3 93.7 94.3 94.2
Clackmannanshire 93.8 93.6 93.6 93.6 93.4 93.3
Dumfries & Galloway 94.3 94.1 94.1 94.4 94.2 94.5
Dundee City 92.5 92.4 92.2 92.0 92.3 92.4
East Ayrshire 92.9 93.6 92.9 93.0 93.4 93.4
East Dunbartonshire 94.8 95.2 94.9 94.6 95.2 95.3
East Lothian 94.2 94.4 94.1 93.8 94.2 93.9
East Renfrewshire 95.6 95.4 95.1 95.2 95.5 95.6
Edinburgh, City of 93.0 93.1 93.1 93.0 93.9 94.1
Eilean Siar 93.9 93.7 94.1 93.9 93.9 94.9
Falkirk 93.4 93.9 93.6 93.4 93.8 93.6
Fife 92.8 93.0 92.8 92.6 93.0 93.5
Glasgow City 91.1 91.5 91.6 91.3 92.6 92.8
Highland 93.4 93.2 92.6 92.8 93.0 93.2
Inverclyde 93.1 93.1 92.6 92.9 93.4 93.0
Midlothian 93.5 93.6 93.1 93.0 93.2 93.0
Moray 93.8 94.3 93.9 93.9 94.2 94.1
North Ayrshire 93.0 93.0 93.3 93.2 93.5 93.3
North Lanarkshire 92.1 92.4 92.1 92.1 92.9 92.8
Orkney Islands 94.9 94.4 93.7 93.1 93.8 94.2
Perth & Kinross 93.5 93.7 93.8 93.8 94.0 93.9
Renfrewshire 93.1 93.4 93.8 93.8 94.0 93.6
Scottish Borders 94.4 94.5 94.2 94.0 94.3 94.4
Shetland Islands 94.8 94.7 94.4 94.2 94.5 94.4
South Ayrshire 92.8 93.1 92.8 93.2 93.2 93.2
South Lanarkshire 93.1 93.2 93.4 93.2 93.8 93.9
Stirling 93.5 93.4 92.9 92.5 94.1 94.4
West Dunbartonshire 92.8 92.9 93.0 92.3 93.3 92.7
West Lothian 93.7 93.8 93.7 93.7 93.9 93.9
Grant Aided 94.8 96.2 96.1 95.8 96.9 96.8

(1) Attendance data is now collected on a biennial basis see background note 2.4 for details.

Contact

Email: Adam Naylor

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