Unauthorised school absences in Sheffield return to pre-Covid levels, with huge disparities between areas
Figures relating to the number of parents/carers issued with penalty notices for their child’s unauthorised school absence have reached over 5,000 for the first time since schools reopened following the Covid-19 pandemic.
According to data acquired from Sheffield City Council, a total of 5,696 fines were issued to parents/carers for their child’s unauthorised absence from school in the 2024/5 academic year.
National figures from the Department for Education also show that one in five (20.24%) of pupils at schools in South Yorkshire had been persistently absent since the start of this academic year, meaning they had an overall absence rate of 10% (roughly 19 days off school) or higher since September.
A line graph showing the number of individual parents/carers who were issued with a penalty notice for their child’s unauthorised absence in the last 10 years. Please note: 2020/21 is an anomaly due to schools being closed for the COVID-19 pandemic. [Figures provided by Sheffield City Council].
School absences are unauthorised when there is no exceptional circumstance for a child to miss school. According to the UK Government, exceptional circumstances include:
- When a child is too ill to attend school;
- When a parent/carer has received advance permission for their child’s absence from school (this is decided on a case-by-case basis).
Parents/carers who cannot provide an exceptional circumstance for their child’s absence may receive a fine of £80 (for each parent), rising to £160 if unpaid within 21 days.
In cases where a child has three or more periods of unauthorised absence within three years, parents/carers may be taken to court for keeping their child out of school.
According to Sheffield City Council, 1,190 parents/carers were subject to a court prosecution order in the 2024/5 academic year after failing to pay unauthorised absence fines.
The court found in favour of the local authority in 99% of these cases.
A series of line graphs showing the number of individual parents/carers who were the subject of a court prosecution order after failing to pay any fine issued for their child’s unauthorised absence in the last 10 years (LEFT) and the amount of these where the court voted in favour of the Local Authority (RIGHT). Please note: 2020/21 is an anomaly due to schools being closed for the COVID-19 pandemic. [Figures provided by Sheffield City Council.]
One parent, Amy Smith(*), voiced concerns about the social impacts of the fines.
Before moving to Sheffield, she worked as a paediatric GP in Scotland, where penalty notices for absences don’t exist.
She explained: “Fines are not the way to address the issues that mean school is missed by the children who need it most.
“They are financially punitive on individuals rather than tackling the root causes for children who are most at risk of persistent absence, like those from disrupted backgrounds.”
There is a clear disparity in unauthorised absence levels across different Sheffield schools whose catchments sit in different socioeconomic areas.
A report by the Sheffield Star named Merica School the top secondary school in the city for attendance, with an absence rate of just 3.27%. This is perhaps unsurprising due to the school’s reputation for strictness and discipline.
On the other hand, Fir Vale Academy, on Owler Lane, had the highest number of absences, with its rate of 13.27% making it the second-worst school for attendance in England, according to the Star.
The school and its surrounding areas are more deprived than 99% of neighbourhoods in England, according to the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, whereas Merica School’s location is less deprived than 95% of neighbourhoods.
The pattern of low attendance in areas of high relative deprivation continues when we look at regions of the UK.
Unauthorised school absences by region
A heat map showing unauthorised school absences by region. Figures from the Department for Education.
Average Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) rank by region (where 1 is most deprived)
A heat map showing where regions rank on the Indices of Deprivation. Figures from Gov.uk
Whilst the figures don’t match entirely, there is evidence of a link between relative deprivation and school absenteeism, something that is clear in Sheffield.
Cllr. Ann Whitaker, spokesperson for Sheffield City Council’s Education, Children and Families Policy Committee, explained how attendance levels vary greatly across different demographic areas in Sheffield, and that this can have long-term impacts for students.
“Young people who have very poor attendance at school are at a higher risk of ending up in the criminal justice system,” she said, “Those with good attendance have a better level of learning and much better outcomes.”
Frequent absence from school can be detrimental to children’s education and social development.
According to the Department for Education, missing 10 days of school a year is associated with half the odds of achieving Grade 5 or above in GCSE Maths and English, and persistently absent pupils could earn £10,000 less at age 28 compared to pupils with near-perfect attendance.
Cllr. Whitaker said that whilst the council sets targets for attendance and deals with larger policy changes on the matter, it is up to academies themselves to create procedures to improve and encourage attendance.
She also reiterated that Sheffield’s figures meet national government targets.
Mercia School and Fir Vale Academy were approached for comment, but did not respond.
*Amy did not want her full name to be used to protect her children’s identities.
Built with Shorthand