Media release

From: The Royal Society

The relationship between 'school readiness' and later persistent absenteeism

School absence has far-reaching repercussions for children’s academic attainment and later life chances. We investigated the influence of being “school ready” on attendance in over 60,000 pupils. Children who were not “school ready” at 4-5 years old were more likely to become persistently absent downstream. Children eligible for free school meals, had special educational needs, or had English as an additional language, were also more likely to be persistently absent. Our study shows that schools can use existing information to identify children at risk of absence, intervene early, and encourage attendance by supporting need before pupils become disengaged from school.

Back to school – Pupils who start school before they’re ready may be more likely have persistent absences later on. Pre-pandemic data from 60,000 Bradford children age 5 -13 revealed those assessed ‘not school ready’ aged 4/5 accounted for two-thirds of persistently absent students (90% attendance or lower across the course of a year). The authors say school readiness assessments could identify needs early so support can be put in place. Royal Society Open Science