Key findings
Social, emotional and mental health needs (SEMH) had the highest severe-absence rate among recorded primary needs in 2024/25: 9.8%. Profound and multiple learning difficulty (PMLD) followed at 8.7%. Autism's rate was 5.7%, against 1.2% for enrolments with no identified SEN.
Across enrolments with an education, health and care (EHC) plan or SEN support, 76,794 were severely absent: 5.3%. The count was 20,958 in 2018/19. Every recorded need with data in 2018/19 and 2024/25 had a higher rate in the later year.
SEMH and autism together accounted for 56.2% of severely absent enrolments with SEN. Their share of all enrolments with SEN was 37.0%.
Enrolments with no primary need recorded had a severe-absence rate of 15.9%. This is a separate recording category. It isn't a type of need.
SEMH and autism: rates and shares
For SEMH, 29,923 of 305,691 enrolments were severely absent. The rate was 9.8%, 8.1× the rate for no identified SEN.
SEMH accounted for 39.0% of severe absence among enrolments with SEN, compared with 21.0% of SEN enrolments. Its severe-absence share was 38.3% in 2018/19.
Autism's severe-absence rate was 5.7%, 4.7× the rate for no identified SEN. Its share of severe absence among enrolments with SEN rose from 11.9% in 2018/19 to 17.2% in 2024/25. Counts rose from 2,498 to 13,215 over the same period, reaching 5.3× their baseline level.
PMLD's rate of 8.7% covers a small group of 8,177 enrolments. Most were in special schools: 6,429. A group's rate and its share of severe absence answer different questions.
| Primary need | Enrolments | Severely absent | Severe absence rate | Times the comparison rate | Share of severely absent enrolments with SEN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEN provision, no primary need recorded | 50,962 | 8,109 | 15.9% | 13.2× | 10.6% |
| Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) | 305,691 | 29,923 | 9.8% | 8.1× | 39.0% |
| Profound and multiple learning difficulty (PMLD) | 8,177 | 709 | 8.7% | 7.2× | 0.9% |
| Autism (recorded as autistic spectrum disorder) | 231,318 | 13,215 | 5.7% | 4.7× | 17.2% |
| Other difficulty or disability | 42,588 | 2,068 | 4.9% | 4.0× | 2.7% |
| Physical disability | 30,633 | 1,434 | 4.7% | 3.9× | 1.9% |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 4,023 | 173 | 4.3% | 3.6× | 0.2% |
| Moderate learning difficulty (MLD) | 190,034 | 6,200 | 3.3% | 2.7× | 8.1% |
| Down syndrome | 1,151 | 37 | 3.2% | 2.7× | 0.0% |
| Severe learning difficulty (SLD) | 26,760 | 842 | 3.1% | 2.6× | 1.1% |
| Specific learning difficulty (SpLD) | 160,070 | 4,814 | 3.0% | 2.5× | 6.3% |
| Visual impairment | 11,670 | 320 | 2.7% | 2.3× | 0.4% |
| Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) | 321,674 | 7,460 | 2.3% | 1.9× | 9.7% |
| SEN support, no specialist assessment of need | 47,956 | 1,098 | 2.3% | 1.9× | 1.4% |
| Hearing impairment | 20,326 | 392 | 1.9% | 1.6× | 0.5% |
| No identified SEN (comparison group) | 5,859,842 | 70,822 | 1.2% | Comparison | Not applicable |
How rates changed since 2018/19
Every recorded need with data in both 2018/19 and 2024/25 had a higher severe-absence rate at the later endpoint. SEMH rose from 4.3% to 9.8%; autism rose from 2.2% to 5.7%.
The smallest rise was for profound and multiple learning difficulty, whose rate reached 1.4× its baseline level. The largest was for speech, language and communication needs, at 3.5× its baseline. Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) reached 2.3%.
The no-identified-SEN rate rose from 0.5% to 1.2%, reaching 2.7× its baseline level. These endpoint comparisons don't mean rates rose every year.
| Primary need | 2018/19 | 2020/21COVID-affected | 2021/22COVID-affected | 2022/23 | 2023/24 | 2024/25 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SEN provision, no primary need recorded | 5.2% | 8.6% | 8.6% | 10.8% | 14.0% | 15.9% |
| Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) | 4.3% | 4.6% | 7.2% | 8.9% | 9.6% | 9.8% |
| Profound and multiple learning difficulty (PMLD) | 6.4% | 7.2% | 9.4% | 8.6% | 9.0% | 8.7% |
| Autism (recorded as autistic spectrum disorder) | 2.2% | 2.8% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 5.5% | 5.7% |
| Other difficulty or disability | 1.8% | 1.8% | 3.4% | 3.9% | 4.7% | 4.9% |
| Physical disability | 2.1% | 2.3% | 3.5% | 4.1% | 4.6% | 4.7% |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 1.2% | 2.2% | 3.6% | 3.5% | 3.6% | 4.3% |
| Moderate learning difficulty (MLD) | 1.0% | 1.3% | 2.2% | 2.8% | 3.2% | 3.3% |
| Down syndrome | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | Not published | 3.2% |
| Severe learning difficulty (SLD) | 1.4% | 2.9% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.9% | 3.1% |
| Specific learning difficulty (SpLD) | 1.0% | 1.1% | 2.2% | 2.6% | 3.0% | 3.0% |
| Visual impairment | 0.8% | 1.2% | 2.0% | 2.7% | 2.7% | 2.7% |
| Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) | 0.7% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 1.8% | 2.1% | 2.3% |
| SEN support, no specialist assessment of need | 0.7% | 0.9% | 1.6% | 2.1% | 2.2% | 2.3% |
| Hearing impairment | 0.7% | 0.9% | 1.3% | 1.7% | 2.1% | 1.9% |
| No identified SEN (comparison group) | 0.5% | 0.6% | 1.0% | 1.2% | 1.3% | 1.2% |
Full-year 2019/20 wasn't published. In 2020/21 and 2021/22, COVID-related non-attendance counted as possible sessions but not as absence. Down syndrome has been a separate primary need since 2024/25.
Secondary school: higher rates for SEMH and autism
SEMH severe absence was 14.9% in secondary schools and 3.3% in primary schools, about 1 in 7 secondary enrolments. For autism, the rates were 9.3% and 3.2% respectively.
The no-identified-SEN rates were 2.2% in secondary schools and 0.3% in primary schools. Phase therefore matters when reading the national totals.
These are comparisons between enrolment groups. They don't track the same children through transition or show why the rates differ.
| Primary need | Primary | Secondary | Special |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEN provision, no primary need recorded | 7.9%23,076 enrolments | 21.2%26,345 enrolments | 45.6%1,541 enrolments |
| Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) | 3.3%142,667 enrolments | 14.9%142,757 enrolments | 19.4%20,267 enrolments |
| Profound and multiple learning difficulty (PMLD) | 6.0%1,255 enrolments | 6.9%493 enrolments | 9.3%6,429 enrolments |
| Autism (recorded as autistic spectrum disorder) | 3.2%89,540 enrolments | 9.3%86,260 enrolments | 4.0%55,518 enrolments |
| Other difficulty or disability | 1.7%18,055 enrolments | 7.2%22,195 enrolments | 7.3%2,338 enrolments |
| Physical disability | 2.1%14,188 enrolments | 7.1%12,697 enrolments | 6.3%3,748 enrolments |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 1.8%2,070 enrolments | 7.4%1,627 enrolments | 4.3%326 enrolments |
| Moderate learning difficulty (MLD) | 0.9%95,245 enrolments | 5.8%82,995 enrolments | 4.0%11,794 enrolments |
| Down syndrome | 3.4%711 enrolments | 3.2%62 enrolments | 2.9%378 enrolments |
| Severe learning difficulty (SLD) | 4.8%2,968 enrolments | 5.7%1,809 enrolments | 2.7%21,983 enrolments |
| Specific learning difficulty (SpLD) | 0.8%59,759 enrolments | 4.3%96,724 enrolments | 5.2%3,587 enrolments |
| Visual impairment | 1.0%5,086 enrolments | 3.9%5,796 enrolments | 5.3%788 enrolments |
| Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) | 1.2%230,590 enrolments | 5.5%73,530 enrolments | 3.2%17,554 enrolments |
| SEN support, no specialist assessment of need | 1.0%32,667 enrolments | 5.1%15,216 enrolments | 17.8%73 enrolments |
| Hearing impairment | 0.5%9,816 enrolments | 3.3%9,330 enrolments | 2.5%1,180 enrolments |
| No identified SEN (comparison group) | 0.3%3,123,118 enrolments | 2.2%2,736,604 enrolments | 66.7%120 enrolments |
Enrolments with no primary need recorded
We use “no primary need recorded” for DfE's primary-need “Unclassified” row. It contained 50,962 enrolments recorded with SEN provision but no primary need in the published data. Their severe-absence rate rose from 5.2% in 2018/19 to 15.9% in 2024/25.
They accounted for 10.6% of severely absent enrolments with SEN. Their rate was 13.2× the rate for no identified SEN.
This is a recording pattern in the published data. It doesn't establish where information is missing in the recording and matching process.
DfE census guidance requires primary need in the spring census for everyone with SEN provision. Schools can check whether everyone on their SEN register has a primary need recorded and whether the census return agrees.
The autumn and spring 2025/26 signal
SEMH severe absence levelled off, moving from 9.25% in autumn and spring 2024/25 to 9.10% in the same terms of 2025/26.
Autism rose from 5.47% to 5.63%. SLCN rose from 2.21% to 2.47%. The latest no-identified-SEN rate was 1.06%.
A change between these periods doesn't establish a trend. These figures cover autumn and spring only. They can't be compared directly with the full-year rates above.
| Primary need | 2023/24 | 2024/25 | 2025/26 |
|---|---|---|---|
| SEN provision, no primary need recorded | 13.71% | 15.55% | 16.02% |
| Social, emotional and mental health (SEMH) | 8.99% | 9.25% | 9.10% |
| Profound and multiple learning difficulty (PMLD) | 9.20% | 9.09% | 9.53% |
| Autism (recorded as autistic spectrum disorder) | 5.16% | 5.47% | 5.63% |
| Other difficulty or disability | 4.38% | 4.61% | 4.45% |
| Physical disability | 4.47% | 4.67% | 4.83% |
| Multi-sensory impairment | 3.42% | 4.32% | 4.09% |
| Moderate learning difficulty (MLD) | 2.92% | 3.02% | 3.04% |
| Down syndrome | Not published | 3.40% | 2.89% |
| Severe learning difficulty (SLD) | 2.88% | 3.13% | 3.40% |
| Specific learning difficulty (SpLD) | 2.74% | 2.78% | 2.84% |
| Visual impairment | 2.42% | 2.63% | 2.57% |
| Speech, language and communication needs (SLCN) | 1.96% | 2.21% | 2.47% |
| SEN support, no specialist assessment of need | 2.00% | 2.15% | 2.09% |
| Hearing impairment | 1.95% | 1.81% | 1.93% |
| No identified SEN (comparison group) | 1.16% | 1.11% | 1.06% |
What schools can check
These questions draw on DfE's attendance guidance and mental-health attendance guidance. They aren't targets derived from national rates.
- Does everyone on our SEN register have a primary need recorded, and does it agree with our census return?
- Do our attendance calculations use the same periods and possible sessions for each comparison?
- What do children and families say about attendance barriers, and how does that inform individual support?
- Are agreed adjustments and attendance support in place, and how are we checking their effect with the child and family?
- Do patterns differ by phase or year group, and what individual circumstances need closer understanding?
Methodology and data quality
We use DfE's Pupil absence in schools in England characteristics files: full-year 2024/25, published 26 March 2026, and autumn and spring 2025/26, published 15 October 2026.
The analysis covers compulsory-school-age enrolments in state-funded primary, secondary and special schools in England. National results use England rows for the stated period and the school-type total. Phase comparisons use each phase separately. Total rows aren't added to their components. Primary need combines EHC-plan and SEN-support enrolments.
Rates divide severely absent enrolment counts by all enrolments in the same group, expressed as a percentage. Ratios use count-based rates before rounding. Severe-absence shares use all severely absent enrolments with SEN as their denominator, including those with no primary need recorded. Enrolment shares use all enrolments with SEN.
DfE defines severe absence as missing at least 50% of possible sessions, and persistent absence as missing at least 10%. Records represent enrolments. A child who changes school can contribute separate enrolments.
DfE describes linking characteristics at the earliest term of absence data, with a following-census fallback where information is missing. Its general methodology doesn't separately explain the matching step for spring-only primary need.
The comparison group is “no identified SEN” from the provision breakdown. It excludes unclassified SEN provision. DfE's primary-need “No SEN” row includes those enrolments, so it isn't the comparator.
“No SEN” and “no primary need recorded” are publication-derived categories. The reconciliations are:
- Primary-need “No SEN” = provision “No identified SEN” + provision “Unclassified”.
- “No primary need recorded” = EHC-plan enrolments + SEN-support enrolments − all recorded primary-need enrolments.
These are reconciliations implied by DfE's data model and confirmed by the published totals. They aren't DfE definitions. The recorded-need total includes “SEN support but no specialist assessment of type of need”.
Down syndrome became a separate category in 2024/25. DfE warns that enrolments previously recorded under other needs can move into it. Other categories can shift through reclassification alone.
Full-year 2019/20 wasn't published. In 2020/21 and 2021/22, COVID-related non-attendance counted as possible sessions but not as absence. Those aren't ordinary trend years. Attendance codes changed from the start of 2024/25.
Severe absence by primary need has already been published. Our 2024/25 rates agree with the Centre for Social Justice's March 2026 School Absence Tracker. The Children's Commissioner reported 2021/22 severe absence for PMLD and SEMH in March 2023.
Our contribution is a documented series for every recorded need from 2018/19 to 2024/25, with gaps and category changes flagged. We report each need's share of severe absence among enrolments with SEN, phase splits and the latest autumn-and-spring data. We also reconcile DfE's derived categories against the no-identified-SEN comparison group. The analysis data (CSV) carries every row, the source checksums and the calculation methods.
Limitations
- These are descriptive associations. They don't establish why absence happened, whether a need caused it or how well a group was supported.
- Enrolments aren't unique children. School moves can create additional records.
- National rates combine different phases and group compositions. They don't describe an individual child's circumstances.
- Recorded primary need doesn't capture every need a child may have. A missing published primary need doesn't establish a missing school record.
- The autumn-and-spring severe-absence cells before 2023/24 marked x mean “not available”. They aren't suppressed. DfE hasn't explained why they weren't backfilled.
- Publication gaps, COVID-related recording, the Down syndrome category and attendance-code changes limit comparisons. Autumn-and-spring results must remain separate from full-year results.
Cite this report
Suggested citation:
Student Radar (2026) Severe absence by SEN primary need in England: 2026. Published 7 November 2026. Available at: https://www.studentradar.com/research/send-severe-absence-by-need-england-2026
Please cite the report page rather than this site's home page. The analysis data (CSV) carries the same figures, source checksums and calculation methods, so others can check or reuse them.
Sources, licence and corrections
- DfE absence by pupil characteristics, full year 2024/25: published 26 March 2026.
- DfE absence by pupil characteristics, autumn and spring terms 2025/26: published 15 October 2026.
- DfE pupil absence statistics methodology
- DfE special educational needs methodology
- DfE school census data items, 2026 to 2027
- Centre for Social Justice, School Absence Tracker, March 2026.
- Children's Commissioner, new attendance figures for academic year 2021/22, March 2023.
- DfE, Working together to improve school attendance
- DfE, Mental health issues affecting a pupil's attendance
Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Student Radar created the analysis. The Department for Education has not endorsed it. For the comparison by recorded SEN provision, see SEND severe absence in England: 2026.
To report an error, email info@studentradar.com. See our editorial policy for review and correction standards.