Overall state-funded primary, secondary and special school pupil absence (authorised and unauthorised, and accounting for the percentage of possible sessions missed) was 4.9% in Somerset in 2016/17, marginally above the national rate of 4.7%. Primary school absence in Somerset was 4.2% and Secondary school absence was 5.7%.
The Persistent Absence rate (that is, the proportion of pupils missing 10% or more possible sessions) was 8.2% in Somerset primary schools and 14.8% in secondary schools in 2016/17, with both rates above national averages.
Pupil Absence and Persistent Absence, Somerset 2013/14 to 2016/17
|
|
Primary |
Secondary |
||
|
Overall absence |
Persistent Absence rate* |
Overall absence |
Persistent Absence rate* |
|
2013/14 |
England |
3.9% |
1.9% |
5.2% |
5.3% |
Somerset |
4.0% |
1.9% |
5.2% |
5.3% |
|
2014/15 |
England |
4.0% |
2.1% |
5.3% |
5.4% |
Somerset |
4.0% |
1.9% |
5.2% |
5.1% |
|
2015/16 |
England |
4.0% |
8.2% |
5.2% |
13.1% |
Somerset |
4.0% |
7.6% |
5.3% |
13.1% |
|
2016/17 |
England |
4.0% |
8.3% |
5.4% |
13.5% |
Somerset |
4.2% |
8.2% |
5.7% |
14.8% |
Source: Department for Education. State-funded schools.
*The definition of persistent absence changed from the 2015/16 academic year. Pupils missing 10% or more of possible sessions (due to authorised or unauthorised absence) are classified as persistent absentees. Prior to 2015/16 the benchmark was 15%.
In 2016/17, there were 4,985 fixed period exclusions from Somerset state-funded primary, secondary and special schools, representing a rate of 7.20 (expressed as a percentage of the number of pupils on roll). This was a higher rate than the national average rate of 4.76.
In 2016/17, there were 92 permanent exclusions from Somerset schools, representing a rate of 0.13. This was above the national average rate (0.10).
Fixed Term and Permanent Exclusion rates, 2013/14 to 2016/17
|
|
Primary |
Secondary |
||
|
Fixed Period Exclusion rate |
Permanent Exclusion rate |
Fixed Period Exclusion rate |
Permanent Exclusion rate |
|
2013/14 |
England |
1.02 |
0.02 |
6.62 |
0.13 |
Somerset |
1.62 |
0.02 |
6.16 |
0.10 |
|
2014/15 |
England |
1.10 |
0.02 |
7.51 |
0.15 |
Somerset |
1.74 |
0.02 |
7.57 |
0.10 |
|
2015/16 |
England |
1.21 |
0.02 |
8.46 |
0.17 |
Somerset |
2.11 |
0.03 |
9.25 |
0.17 |
|
2016/17 |
England |
1.37 |
0.03 |
9.40 |
0.20 |
Somerset |
2.35 |
0.03 |
13.02 |
0.27 |
Source: Department for Education
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70.5% of working age people in Somerset are qualified to at least Level 2 on the National Qualifications Framework (equivalent to 5 GCSEs at grades A* to C), higher than the national average of 67.3%.