Which Local Authorities Cut Persistent Absence Most Since the Pandemic Peak?

While the national conversation about school absence often focuses on where rates are highest, an equally important question is where they are falling fastest. Between 2021/22 and 2023/24, the national persistent absence rate fell from 22.5% to 20.0% — a drop of 2.5 percentage points. But some local authorities achieved more than double that improvement.

This analysis identifies the local authorities that cut persistent absence most since the pandemic peak, using pupil-weighted school-level data from the DfE.

The top 10 improvers

Luton leads the country with a 5.8 percentage point drop, from 24.4% in 2021/22 to 18.6% in 2023/24. That is more than double the national improvement, bringing Luton from well above average to slightly below the national rate.

Sutton in south London achieved a 5.3pp reduction, from 20.8% to 15.5%. Remarkably, Sutton's 2023/24 rate is now the lowest among the top improvers — and well below the national average.

St Helens on Merseyside cut its rate by 5.2pp, from 25.3% to 20.1%, and Doncaster by 5.0pp, from 25.6% to 20.6%. Both started from very high levels and have made significant progress.

Different starting points, different stories

The top 10 improvers fall into two distinct groups. Some started from very high rates and have made substantial progress without yet reaching the national average — Plymouth (27.6% to 22.8%), Torbay (28.1% to 23.5%) and Doncaster (25.6% to 20.6%).

Others started closer to the national average and have pulled significantly below it — Sutton (20.8% to 15.5%) and Richmond upon Thames (17.9% to 13.3%). These affluent outer London boroughs demonstrate that improvement is possible from any starting point.

How the top 3 compare to the national trend

The trajectories tell different stories. Luton spiked above the national average in 2021/22, stayed high in 2022/23 at 24.3%, then dropped sharply to 18.6% — most of its improvement came in a single year.

Sutton improved steadily over both years: 20.8% to 17.7% to 15.5%. This gradual, sustained recovery suggests structural changes rather than a one-off correction.

St Helens made almost all its gains in the first year (25.3% to 20.1%), then plateaued in 2023/24 at the same rate — a pattern that could signal either a natural floor or the need for renewed intervention.

Where improvement has stalled

Not every area is making progress. Tower Hamlets barely moved (18.1% to 18.2%), Westminster was unchanged at 22.9%, and Leicester improved by just 0.1pp. For these areas, the pandemic-era absence levels appear to have become the new normal.

The median local authority improvement was 2.7pp — close to the national 2.5pp. The top improvers achieved roughly double the typical rate of recovery.

What can other areas learn?

The diversity of the top 10 — spanning the South West, Merseyside, south London, South Yorkshire and the East Midlands — suggests that geography is not destiny. Areas with very different demographics and starting points have all achieved rapid improvement.

The question for areas like Plymouth and Torbay, which remain well above the national average despite strong improvement, is whether they can sustain this trajectory. For areas where progress has stalled, the experience of Luton and Sutton offers evidence that significant reductions are achievable.