A session is half a school day
Schools normally record morning and afternoon attendance. Missing 10% of sessions is broadly equivalent to missing one day in ten.
Absence creates a second problem when pupils return.
Attendance matters. So does giving a returning pupil a practical route into the lesson already in progress.
State-funded schools in England, 2024/25
18.7%of pupils were persistently absent, meaning they missed at least 10% of their possible sessions.
Read the percentage carefully.
A pupil is classed as persistently absent after missing 10% or more of the school sessions available to them.
The rate counts pupils
A rate of 35.8% means that 35.8% of pupils missed at least 10% of school. It does not mean every pupil missed 35.8%.
The headline number is only part of the story.
Rates fell compared with 2023/24, but persistent absence was still higher in secondary schools and for pupils facing disadvantage or additional needs.
All pupils
18.7%2.0 percentage points lower than 2023/24
Secondary schools
24.3%almost one pupil in four
Special schools
35.8%more than one pupil in three
Pupils with an EHC plan
36.9%compared with 16.5% with no identified SEN
Free school meals: 33.0% of eligible pupils were persistently absent, compared with 13.4% of pupils who were not eligible.
Scope: figures cover compulsory-school-age pupils in state-funded primary, secondary, and special schools in England.
“Catching up on missed work was one of the biggest concerns for pupils.”
NFER studied the return, not only the absence.
Researchers visited nine state-funded secondary schools selected for good or improving attendance. They spoke with 85 pupils, 22 senior or attendance staff, and surveyed 606 secondary teachers and leaders.
9
case-study schools
85
pupils interviewed
22
school staff interviewed
606
Teacher Voice respondents
These schools were chosen because their attendance was good or improving. The study helps explain pupils' experiences, but it does not represent every school in England.
Read the NFER researchThe evidence shapes the product choices.
Pupils worried about the volume of missed work.
Start from the upcoming lesson and identify only the earlier ideas needed to take part.
Personalised catch-up and staff check-ins were valued.
Keep the teacher in the loop and produce an individual route from a short diagnostic.
Punitive approaches could make returning harder.
Use calm language, no grades, no deficit ranking, and no attendance consequences.
Relationships and belonging mattered.
Support the teacher-pupil relationship rather than presenting AI as a replacement teacher.
What this evidence does not prove
It does not yet prove that BridgeBack improves attendance, learning, or wellbeing. That would need to be tested carefully with schools and pupils.