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The Link between Attendance and Attainment in Assessment Year. Research Report

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Bibliographic Details
Title: The Link between Attendance and Attainment in Assessment Year. Research Report
Language: English
Authors: Department for Education (DfE) (United Kingdom)
Source: UK Department for Education. 2025.
Availability: UK Department for Education. Castle View House East Lane, Runcorn, Cheshire, WA7 2GJ, UK. Tel: +44-37-0000-2288; Fax: +44-19-2873-8248; Web site: http://www.education.gov.uk
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 48
Publication Date: 2025
Document Type: Reports - Research
Descriptors: Attendance, Educational Attainment, Educational Assessment, Foreign Countries, Eligibility, Lunch Programs, Special Education, Academic Achievement, Academic Standards, Achievement Gains
Geographic Terms: United Kingdom
ISBN: 978-1-83870-608-1
Abstract: This report investigates the link between different 5 percentage point bandings of attendance and attainment for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) and Key Stage 4 (KS4) in state-funded mainstream schools in 2022/23. Absence from school is not the only factor that is likely to affect a pupil's level of attainment. There are a range of pupil, school, parental and societal characteristics that are likely to affect attainment in varying degrees. The pupil absence and attainment data used in this release have been created by matching absence data, as collected via school census, to KS2 and KS4 attainment results collected from awarding bodies. Absence data is then matched into the National Pupil Database (NPD)--a longitudinal database which holds a wide range of pupil level data for schools across England. To better understand the link between absence and attainment, a regression model was developed to take confounding factors into account, such as prior attainment and different pupil characteristics. The key findings in this report show a positive correlation between increased attendance and attainment. By controlling for other factors which may affect a pupil's attainment, including prior attainment, eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM), Special Educational Needs (SEN) status, sex, month of birth, first language, and IDACI score of home postcode, the relationship between attendance during the year of assessment and the likelihood of reaching the expected outcome for the stage was found.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2025
Accession Number: ED672258
Database: ERIC
Description
Abstract:This report investigates the link between different 5 percentage point bandings of attendance and attainment for pupils at the end of Key Stage 2 (KS2) and Key Stage 4 (KS4) in state-funded mainstream schools in 2022/23. Absence from school is not the only factor that is likely to affect a pupil's level of attainment. There are a range of pupil, school, parental and societal characteristics that are likely to affect attainment in varying degrees. The pupil absence and attainment data used in this release have been created by matching absence data, as collected via school census, to KS2 and KS4 attainment results collected from awarding bodies. Absence data is then matched into the National Pupil Database (NPD)--a longitudinal database which holds a wide range of pupil level data for schools across England. To better understand the link between absence and attainment, a regression model was developed to take confounding factors into account, such as prior attainment and different pupil characteristics. The key findings in this report show a positive correlation between increased attendance and attainment. By controlling for other factors which may affect a pupil's attainment, including prior attainment, eligibility for Free School Meals (FSM), Special Educational Needs (SEN) status, sex, month of birth, first language, and IDACI score of home postcode, the relationship between attendance during the year of assessment and the likelihood of reaching the expected outcome for the stage was found.
ISBN:978-1-83870-608-1