India, March 20 -- The number of pupils in England absent for long periods of time reached a record high last year, Government figures suggest. Department for Education (DfE) data indicates that 2.3% of pupils were "severely absent", which means they missed at least 50% of possible school sessions, in 2023/24, compared with 2.0% in 2022/23.

Overall, 171,269 pupils were classed as severely absent last academic year, up from 150,256 in 2022/23. It is the highest number recorded since the current DfE data began in 2006/07. In 2018/19, the last academic year before the COVID-19 pandemic, 60,247 were classed as severely absent.

A school leaders' union warned last week that some families see school as "optional" since the pandemic. The latest...