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Attendance data: pupils eligible for FSM
Compare your school's data to others nationally and find out the difference in attendance between pupils eligible for FSM and those who aren't.
The Department for Education (DfE) publishes statistics on pupil absence and attendance every year.
The data on absence rates among pupils who are and aren't eligible for free school meals (FSM) is set out in table 5.1 of each of the following datasets:
- National and local authority tables for 2018/19 - download here
- National and local authority tables for 2017/18 - download here
Primary schools
| 2018/19 | Pupils eligible for FSM | Pupils not eligible for FSM |
| Overall absence | 6.0% | 3.6% |
| Authorised absence | 3.9% | 2.7% |
| Unauthorised absence | 2.1% | 1.0% |
| 2017/18 | Pupils eligible for FSM | Pupils not eligible for FSM |
| Overall absence | 6.3% | 3.8% |
| Authorised absence | 4.1% | 2.9% |
| Unauthorised absence | 2.2% | 1.0% |
Secondary schools
| 2018/19 | Pupils eligible for FSM | Pupils not eligible for FSM |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence | 9.2% | 4.8% |
| Authorised absence | 5.0% | 3.5% |
| Unauthorised absence | 4.3% | 1.3% |
| 2017/18 | Pupils eligible for FSM | Pupils not eligible for FSM |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence | 9.2% | 5.0% |
| Authorised absence | 5.1% | 3.7% |
| Unauthorised absence | 4.1% | 1.3% |
Special schools
| 2018/19 | Pupils eligible for FSM | Pupils not eligible for FSM |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence | 11.8% | 9.1% |
| Authorised absence | 8.4% | 7.4% |
| Unauthorised absence | 3.4% | 1.6% |
| 2017/18 | Pupils eligible for FSM | Pupils not eligible for FSM |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence | 11.8% | 9.3% |
| Authorised absence | 8.5% | 7.7% |
| Unauthorised absence | 3.3% | 1.6% |
All schools
| 2018/19 | Pupils eligible for FSM | Pupils not eligible for FSM |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence | 7.5% | 4.2% |
| Authorised absence | 4.5% | 3.1% |
| Unauthorised absence | 3.0% | 1.1% |
| 2017/18 | Pupils eligible for FSM | Pupils not eligible for FSM |
|---|---|---|
| Overall absence | 7.6% | 4.3% |
| Authorised absence | 4.7% | 3.2% |
| Unauthorised absence | 2.9% | 1.1% |
Next steps
- Compare your school's overall absence rates with those of other schools via the DfE’s school performance tables
- Look at research into why pupils entitled to FSM have higher absence rates than their peers
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