The proportion of pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) who miss more school than they attend has jumped by more than 15 per cent in a year.
The government has been urged to take urgent action as official data also showed a rise in severe absence among poorer pupils and those attending alternative provision.
Last academic year, 6.8 per cent of children with an education, health and care plan were severely absent – meaning they missed 50 per cent or more of their lessons.
This is up from 5.9 per cent in 2022-23, and more than double the pre-pandemic rate of 3.3 per cent.
The proportion of those receiving SEN support who were severely absent also rose from 3.8 to 4.4 per cent.
Severe absence also jumped for pupils eligible for free school meals (3.8 to 4.3 per cent) and for those attending alternative provision (38.3 to 39.2 per cent).
It comes after the Education Policy Institute warned the growth in the attainment gap between poorer 16-year-olds and their better-off peers between 2019 and 2023 can be “entirely explained” by higher absences for disadvantaged pupils.
Munira Wilson, the Liberal Democrat education spokesperson said the figures were a “heartbreaking sign that despite lots of promises and rhetoric, children with special educational needs continue to be let down in this country.
“Parents are forced to fight for the education their children are entitled to, and all too often children feel trapped in a system that can’t cater to their needs. That’s what leads to shocking absence rates like these.”
‘Urgent reform is needed’
She said the Labour government had “inherited a mess when it came to SEND provision, but we need to see action and we need to see results. The pace of change is simply too slow.
“We urgently need wholesale reform of the system — so that every child gets the education they deserve.”
Although overall absence fell slightly last year – from 7.4 to 7.1 per cent – absence rates for some of the most vulnerable children in the system remain stubbornly high, and for some they are rising.
Overall absences among pupils with an education, health and care plan rose from 12.3 to 12.6 per cent between 2022-23 and 2023-24. Absences among those receiving SEN support was 10.2 per cent last year, the same as in 2022-23.
Absences from alternative provision also increased from 41.7 to 42.5 per cent. Among pupils eligible for free school meals, absences fell slightly, from 11.1 to 11 per cent.
Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the ASCL school leaders’ union, said it was “clear that there are still far too many children missing out on significant portions of their education.
“We need to accept that schools cannot solve this issue on their own and must set out clear expectations and plans for parents, government, schools and other agencies to work together in the best interests of young people.
“This must be backed with funding to ensure there is sufficient capacity in the system for all children to get any additional support they require to be able to attend school on a regular basis.”
