The evidence behind attendance practice. Explore major UK research, official statistics and influential reviews, organised by year and translated into practical implications for schools, trusts, leaders and policy makers.
Attendance research is strongest when we distinguish correlation from causation, understand the population and method, and translate findings carefully into practice. Each summary below includes the source, coverage, key finding and a short “implication for practice”.
The initial archive follows your requested years: 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Definitions, collection arrangements and school systems differ, so cross-UK comparison needs care. The value is often in identifying shared patterns and asking why the scale or distribution of absence differs.
Strong linked-data research on attainment, earnings, mental health and vulnerable groups, alongside frequent national attendance statistics.
Annual attendance and absence statistics now provide detailed analysis by deprivation, additional support needs, phase and local authority.
Recent releases highlight post-pandemic attendance recovery, persistent absence, illness and especially large FSM attendance gaps.
Annual school-level data include reasons, school sectors, FSM and deprivation measures, with recent bulletins also offering cautious UK comparisons.
The purpose of an evidence library is not to collect PDFs. It is to help leaders distinguish strong evidence from assertion, identify recurring findings and make better decisions about prevention, support, inclusion and accountability.
