The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) has issued a stark warning that over 100,000 persistently absent school leavers are on course to join the one million young people not in education, employment, or training (NEET). The thinktank is urging the government of Andy Burnham and the new Education Secretary, Lucy Powell, to take urgent action to reduce school absences to pre-pandemic levels.
Alarming rise in persistent absence
New figures reveal that 151,279 pupils missed at least half of their school time last year, a staggering 195 per cent increase compared to 2018/19. In the autumn term of 2025/26 alone, 32 million school days were missed, which is 11 million more than in the same term before the pandemic.
The CSJ argues that if absence rates were brought back to pre-Covid levels, an estimated 40,000 fewer young people would become NEET. The thinktank is calling on Lucy Powell to make this a top priority, including by developing stronger technical pathways from school into employment.
Financial and social consequences
Failure to address the crisis would incur a lifetime cost to the taxpayer of over £24 billion, according to CSJ estimates, through lost tax receipts, higher welfare payments, and increased spending on public services.
Joe Shalam, Policy Director at the CSJ, said: “Everyone hoped the school absence crisis would be a post-pandemic blip, but today’s figures show this crisis is sadly getting even worse. Time out of the classroom is having a devastating impact on the life chances of thousands of children and young people. We cannot afford to take a timid approach to this issue.”
Proposed mandatory attendance course
Shalam added: “Given the clear link between school absence and ending up out of work, ministers should adopt our plan to restore the expectations on parents to get young people through the school gates, while expanding the support for those struggling the most. Failure to fix this crisis is ending up as a tragedy of wasted potential.”
The CSJ recommends introducing a mandatory Attendance Awareness Course for parents whose children repeatedly miss school without a valid reason. The course would explain the impact of absence on educational and employment prospects. Parents who refuse to attend without good reason would face a fine of up to £200.
Broader context and next steps
This comes as the government faces growing pressure to tackle the attendance crisis, with many schools reporting persistent challenges in getting pupils back into classrooms. The CSJ's proposals are part of a wider plan to strengthen parental responsibility while providing additional support for families facing barriers to attendance.
The thinktank's warning highlights the long-term risks to young people's life chances and the wider economy. With the new Education Secretary now in post, the CSJ is urging swift action to implement these recommendations and prevent a generation from falling through the cracks.
