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

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⁾

(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

(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⁾

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