FOI Request - Pupil Absence and Attendance Rates
Request 101003854066
Scope and timeframe
Please provide the following recorded information relating to pupil attendance and absence in schools:
1. Monthly time-series (recent)
For the period 1 August 2023 to the most recent complete month, for each school (if routinely held at school level; otherwise provide service-level totals), please provide:
a) Sessions possible, sessions present, authorised absence sessions, unauthorised absence sessions.
b) Derived attendance rate and absence rate (if routinely reported).
c) Where held, a split by stage/phase (primary/secondary/special).
2. Annual indicators (historic)
For academic years 2015/16 to 2024/25 (year-to-date), please provide school-level annual totals of:
a) Attendance rate and absence rate (authorised/unauthorised).
b) Persistent absence: count and percentage of pupils meeting your persistent absence threshold (please state the threshold and how it is calculated).
c). Sessions possible and sessions lost (authorised/unauthorised) to enable calculation/validation.
3. Reason codes (if routinely recorded)
For the years above, service-level totals of absence by reason code (e.g., illness, medical/dental, exclusion, family holiday, truancy/late after close of register, other). Please include the reason code list/definitions currently in use.
4. Equalities/need-to-know breakdowns (where routinely held and disclosable)
For service-level totals only (not school-level), per academic year:
a) Absence/attendance by SIMD quintile.
b) By sex and ASN status.
(Only where already produced and disclosable without identification risk; otherwise omit.)
5. Policies / management information
a) The current attendance/absence policy and any guidance to schools on coding reasons.
b) Any internal dashboards or committee reports since 1 August 2023 summarising attendance/absence trends.
Response 13-10-2025
1. a) and b) Please see attached the information requested.
Please note, we do not hold a breakdown the data by stage / phase. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
2. Please find attached the information requested for Primary, and here for Secondary.
Please note, information prior to 2017/18 is not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held. Data for a) and c) are attached, however we do not have data related to persistent absences - this is monitored by individual schools and to retrieve this for all pupils would have cost the Council in excess of £600 of staff time. In accordance with section 12 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 (excessive cost), we are therefore unable to comply with this part of the request.
3. Please find attached the information requested.
Please note, information is only available for the last five academic years; information prior to that is not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
4. Please find attached the information requested.
Please note, information is only available for the last five academic years; information prior to that is not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
5. a) Not held. Information that is not held falls under Section 17 of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002 - Information not held.
b) Education data, including attendance data is provided as backing data for committee reports and quarterly reporting - link to latest quarterly PI data http://www.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file163454.pdf
All the attendance data is based on half days, as is recorded on SEEMIS.