School attendance calculator
Work out a pupil’s attendance, and whether they are persistently or severely absent under the DfE definitions.
- DfE definitionsFrom “Working together to improve school attendance” and the DfE’s attendance statistics, checked 20 October 2026.
- Nothing you enter leaves your browserThe calculator runs on this page. Nothing is sent or stored.
Work out attendance
Enter the figures from your MIS for this school year so far. You can use sessions or days.
A guide to the DfE definitions, not legal advice. Your MIS figures and your school’s attendance policy come first.
The rules
How the DfE defines attendance and absence, and how the calculator uses it.
- Sessions
- A school day has two sessions, morning and afternoon. Schools must take the register at the start of the morning session and once during the afternoon session. In days mode, the calculator counts each day as 2 sessions.
- Absence rate
- Sessions missed, divided by possible sessions, times 100. Authorised and unauthorised absence both count. Attendance is 100% minus the absence rate.
- Persistent absence
- Missing 10% or more of possible sessions, for any reason. That’s attendance of 90% or less. The DfE describes it as 1 day or more a fortnight across a full school year, and expects schools and local authorities to work together on extra, targeted support.
- Severe absence
- Missing 50% or more of possible sessions: absent more than present. The DfE asks all partners to make these pupils the top priority for support. Where severe absence for unauthorised reasons continues after support has been put in place, it is likely to be neglect, and schools should be alert to safeguarding concerns.
- The school year
- Schools must meet for at least 380 sessions, or 190 days, a year. Over a full year, a pupil who misses 38 sessions (19 days) reaches 10%. The calculator takes the full year, minus the possible sessions so far, as the sessions left.
Sources, checked 20 October 2026:
- Working together to improve school attendance (DfE statutory guidance, July 2026), paragraphs 32 and 134 to 136.
- Pupil absence in schools in England: methodology (DfE, updated 26 March 2026), sections 3.1 to 3.3 and the school year.
Attendance questions
What counts as persistent absence?
A pupil is persistently absent if they miss 10% or more of their possible sessions, for any reason. Authorised and unauthorised absence both count. That’s the DfE’s definition in its attendance statistics and in “Working together to improve school attendance”.
What is severe absence?
A pupil is severely absent if they miss 50% or more of their possible sessions: they are absent more than they are present. The DfE asks schools, local authorities and other partners to make severely absent pupils the top priority for support.
How many days off is 10%?
Schools must meet for at least 380 sessions (190 days) a year. Over a full year, 10% is 38 sessions, or 19 days. The DfE describes it as 1 day or more a fortnight across a full school year. A pupil who misses 37 sessions in a full year stays under 10%.
Do authorised absences count towards persistent absence?
Yes. Persistent and severe absence are worked out from overall absence, which is authorised and unauthorised absence added together. Illness, medical appointments and other authorised absence all count.
What is a session?
A school day has two sessions, morning and afternoon. Schools must take the register at the start of the morning session and once during the afternoon session. Possible sessions are the sessions a pupil was expected to attend, so they leave out days before the pupil joined.
Spot absence early, next to everything else you know
In Pupil Protect Safeguard, attendance comes from your MIS. A pupil is flagged to the DSL team when attendance falls to 90% or 50% or below, drops suddenly, or shows 10 school days in a row of unexplained absence.