School Absence Rates in England by Free School Meal Eligibility, 2006-2008

Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF) administrative data on pupil absence in England. The dataset covers the 2006/07 and 2007/08 school years and includes counts of pupils, possible sessions, and percentages of authorised, unauthorised, and total absences. Figures are broken down by Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility and refer to the pupil's area of residence.

Use Cases

• Analyze socioeconomic disparities in school attendance based on Free School Meal eligibility status.
• Compare authorised versus unauthorised absence rates across different geographic areas in England.
• Use Free School Meal eligibility data as a proxy to study educational outcomes for children from low-income households.

Strengths

• Data is broken down by Free School Meal (FSM) eligibility, a key socioeconomic indicator.
• Covers two full school years (2006/07 and 2007/08) for longitudinal comparison.
• Provides figures at multiple geographic levels: MSOA, Local Authority District, and Government Office Region.

Limitations

• Row count and column-level details are unknown, limiting suitability assessment.
• Data is from 2006-2008 and may not reflect current attendance patterns.
• Description metadata is limited; actual data quality requires manual inspection after download.

Provenance

Source

Department for Children, Schools and Families (DCSF)

Collection Method

Administrative data

Time Range

2006/07, 2007/08

Freshness

Last updated 2026-07-08 13:31:23.197860; freshness should be verified.

Geography

England