The DfE has an experimental dashboard recording weekly pupil absence data for overall absence and authorized and unauthorized absences at the local authority level. https://department-for-education.shinyapps.io/pupil-attendance-in-schools/ So far, the dashboard has data from 14,580 schools for the 30th of September data.

I have just extracted one list from the dashboard. This is the25 local authority areas with the highest percentages of unauthorized absences in the secondary school sector.

Year	Week beginning	Local authority	Absence	Authorised	Unauthorised
2022	26/09/2022	Middlesbrough	11.60%	4.60%	7.10%
2022	26/09/2022	Knowsley	11.00%	4.50%	6.50%
2022	26/09/2022	Isle of Wight	11.50%	5.90%	5.70%
2022	26/09/2022	Sunderland	10.20%	4.70%	5.50%
2022	26/09/2022	Salford	9.60%	4.10%	5.50%
2022	26/09/2022	Hartlepool	9.40%	3.90%	5.40%
2022	26/09/2022	Stoke-on-Trent	9.90%	4.60%	5.40%
2022	26/09/2022	Newcastle upon Tyne	10.20%	4.90%	5.30%
2022	26/09/2022	Gateshead	10.70%	5.70%	5.10%
2022	26/09/2022	Bradford	9.80%	4.90%	4.90%
2022	26/09/2022	Doncaster	10.10%	5.40%	4.70%
2022	26/09/2022	Newham	7.80%	3.00%	4.70%
2022	26/09/2022	Sheffield	8.20%	3.50%	4.70%
2022	26/09/2022	Liverpool	9.80%	5.30%	4.50%
2022	26/09/2022	Kingston upon Hull, City of	9.50%	5.10%	4.30%
2022	26/09/2022	Stockton-on-Tees	8.70%	4.40%	4.30%
2022	26/09/2022	Rochdale	8.90%	4.70%	4.10%
2022	26/09/2022	Blackpool	8.70%	4.60%	4.10%
2022	26/09/2022	Leeds	8.40%	4.30%	4.10%
2022	26/09/2022	Rotherham	8.90%	4.80%	4.10%
2022	26/09/2022	Calderdale	9.30%	5.40%	3.80%
2022	26/09/2022	Barnsley	9.30%	5.50%	3.80%
2022	26/09/2022	Coventry	8.70%	5.00%	3.70%
2022	26/09/2022	County Durham	9.70%	6.00%	3.70%
2022	26/09/2022	Sandwell	7.30%	3.60%	3.60%

What is striking is the geographical spread of authorities. None in the South West, East of England and East Midlands and only one each in London and the South East. So, from five of the nine regions of England there are just two local authority areas in the list. Whereas the North East contributes more than five authorities to the list, although only two of the five local authority areas heading up the list.

Now, it may be that schools in some areas take different views about what constitutes authorized or unauthorized absences even though there are well-defined categories. Some may also be better at recording data. However, there is another similarity with the areas in the list. Most are areas with either significant pockets or in some cases even larger areas of deprivation within the geographical area.

Some, such as Blackpool, have been Opportunity Areas under previous government schemes to support education. Seven areas had more than 10% of secondary school pupils not in school at the end of September. Such a level of absence might be understandable either later in the year or during the depth of winter, but so early in the school year it is troubling.

Many of these areas have high unemployment levels and would seem to be targets for areas of growth. However, the skills base won’t be there to develop if the education of a proportion of pupils is so disrupted.

Might the current curriculum have something to do with the decision by these pupils to stay away? Government still looks more favorably on training teachers for EBacc subjects than for more directly vocational areas such as business studies.

Interestingly, most of these areas are not ones with significant teacher recruitment issues.