Unauthorised absence in Schools

WQ.325/2025

WRITTEN QUESTION TO THE MINISTER FOR EDUCATION AND LIFELONG LEARNING

BY DEPUTY D.J. WARR OF ST. HELIER SOUTH

QUESTION SUBMITTED ON MONDAY 15th SEPTEMBER 2025

ANSWER TO BE TABLED ON MONDAY 22nd SEPTEMBER 2025

Question

"With regard to the unauthorised absence of pupils from school for every year group, will the Minister state for each year from 2022 to 2024 inclusive –

1. the number of absent days and provide a comparison to 2019 data;
2. the gender breakdown; and
3. the total cost to CYPES (Children, Young People, Education and Skills) for non-attendance in each year?"

Answer

1. The table below presents the number of pupil absence days recorded as unauthorised across Government schools (Reception to Year 11). The data is reported by academic year, rather than calendar year. In each academic year the cohort size exceeded 10,000 pupils. Unauthorised absences include:

• Holidays not approved by the school

• Late arrivals

• Absences without a provided reason

• Absences where the reason was deemed unsatisfactory by the school

It's important to recognise that direct comparisons with pre-Covid attendance figures must be viewed in the context of substantial shifts in the national attendance landscape. Since the Covid-19 pandemic, improving attendance has been a priority for the department. We have a dedicated Central Educational Welfare Team who support all primary schools and the feepaying Government of Jersey schools, while other schools employ school specific Educational Welfare Officers. We have also invested in data quality resource and as a result, we are now able to report with greater confidence in the accuracy and reliability of attendance data from 2021 onwards. There was no central oversight of data quality prior to 2021, and we can therefore not be confident in the earlier data. As such, comparisons between years should be treated with caution. Days have been independently rounded to the nearest whole number.

2. The  table  below  shows  the  same  information  provided  above,  by  gender.  Days  have  been independently rounded to the nearest whole number.

The cost of unauthorised absences described above are difficult to measure. All pupil absence is monitored by schools, and as part of their normal practice, teachers and teaching assistants will work with children and  their  families  to  identify  and  rectify  gaps  in  pupil  learning  created  as  a  result  of  missed lessons. Similarly, where a particular pattern of absence is identified, Educational Welfare colleagues will work with pupils and their families, to support children in attending school so that they can access their learning and thrive in their educational setting.