Welsh primary school attendance has improved, with new data
showing a drop in the number of pupils missing school.
New data shows that persistent absences - missing more than 10%
of required school sessions – by primary school-aged pupils has
fallen
The figures also show improvements in the number of primary
pupils eligible for free school meals attending school. Half-day
sessions missed by this cohort decreased to 11.8% in 2024/2025
compared to 12.1% the previous school year. Persistent absences
for primary pupils eligible for free school meals also decreased
to 44.7% compared to 46.9% in 2023/2024.
The Cabinet Secretary for Education, said:
“It is fantastic that we are making progress in tackling school
absences, and this improvement reflects our sustained focus on
attendance and the investments we've made. But we must not be
complacent and raising school attendance remains a top priority.
“There are a range of reasons for learner absence. Effective
relationships between schools and families are essential and
there is a lot of good practice already happening across Wales.
We will continue to work with schools, local authorities and
other partners to address the barriers that prevent children from
attending school regularly.
“To support this work we have provided £7 million this year to
help children re-engage with school. We are already seeing the
benefits of this investment and I want to thank all school staff,
local authorities and families for working together to achieve
this.”
Earlier this year statistics released for secondary school pupils
also showed attendance rates had improved, rising to 89.1% from
88.0% and overall absences falling from 12.0% to 10.9% in the
2024/25 academic year when compared to the same time in
2023/2024.
ENDS
Notes to editors
Notes
Attendance statistics for primary school aged pupils can be found
here
Attendance statistics for secondary school aged pupils can be
found here.
Our Universal Primary Free School Meal offer does not redefine
the eligibility criteria for benefit-related free school meals.
Just like the previous system before Universal Primary Free
School Meals, parents/carers are asked to register for free
school meals to access additional sources of support and for data
purposes.
Data is for the 2024/2025 and 2023/2024 academic years.
