Tackling school absenteeism - why tutoring matters more than ever

In the last seven days, two important reports have been released on school absenteeism: one by our partners Impetus and Public First, and the other by the Centre for Social Justice (CSJ). Both highlight the same reality: absence from education is the single biggest challenge facing schools today. This is a problem we've seen first-hand. Our data from the 2024/25 academic year shows a rise in the number of young people who have low attendance rates, and in those who have been persistently or severely absent from school.  

Persistent absence is defined as missing 10% or more of school, while severe absence means missing at least half the year (CSJ). Both levels of absence have a significant impact on a young person’s progress in education and ultimately harm their academic outcomes. With higher absence rates occurring amongst pupils who are eligible for free school meals, absenteeism is in part responsible for deepening the disadvantage-attainment gap (GOV.uk)

Absenteeism is rising across the UK and beyond, with persistent absence now a systemic issue. Post-pandemic, schools are under pressure not only to rebuild young people’s confidence in education but also to raise aspirations and bridge the gap between home and school life. The CSJ’s report, Absent Ambition, shines a light on the scale of the problem, offering the solution of attendance awareness courses for parents. 

The report by Impetus and Public First: Listening to, and learning from, young people in the attendance crisis,  highlights how children’s online lives are having an impact on their school attendance. Recommendations surround setting structured social ‘online’ time for our children and teenagers, broadening and enriching activities in schools, but a present theme, and one that we embrace wholeheartedly, is listening to young people. The report is essential reading for education leaders, as it is filled with reports from young people and provides an understanding of the barriers that so many are facing towards accessing their education. 

At Tutor Trust, we know that the schools we work with are doing everything they can to provide safe, supportive, and enriching environments. But for too many young people, school can feel disconnected from their lives. We partner with schools to offer supportive tutors, so that our pupils can build confidence, resilience and have a greater sense of belonging to their schools.  That’s why tutoring has a crucial role to play in the future of our education system, by helping students to re-engage, rebuild confidence, and see education as a pathway to opportunity.

The scale of the challenge

The statistics are stark:

• Since 2020, the number of children missing education (CME) has risen by almost 25%—reaching nearly 120,000 in 2022/23. (Children’s Commissioner, 2024)
• Disadvantaged pupils are disproportionately affected, making up 46% of CME cases. (Children’s Commissioner, 2024)
• In the 2024/25 Autumn Term, a third (29.91%) of pupils eligible for free school meals were persistently absent, though this figure went down by 6% from 2023/24. This accounts for the whole year. (Official Statistics, Gov.uk, 2024, 2025)