Primary schools aim to set their young pupils up for future success, by instilling in them a strong foundation of essential academic skills.
But to do that successfully, they need children to attend class as often as possible. And nationwide, England’s attendance rates leave a lot to be desired.
The Government’s latest absence and attendance figures, covering the full 2023/24 school year, show that the overall absence rate - the percentage of half-days missed for all pupils - still lingers well above pre-pandemic figures. One in five pupils were also labelled ‘persistently absent’, meaning they missed at least 10% of these half-day sessions.
A recent Department for Education report has demonstrated just how much this matters for a pupil’s outcomes, even in the early school years. It found that pupils who attended school nearly every day in Year 6 were 1.3 times more likely to meet the Government’s expected standards in reading, writing and maths compared to pupils who only attended 90-95% of the time. This means missing just 10 days of school cuts their chances by around 25%.
We’ve taken a look at overall absence rates for state-funded primary schools - including infant and lower schools, which are common across Central Bedfordshire - across the Bedford, Central Bedfordshire, and Luton council areas. Using this data, we’ve created a league table for parents featuring all of the local schools with absence rates below 4% - an outstanding achievement for any school community. This has allowed many smaller community and village schools to shine, although bigger schools with roll sizes in the hundreds have also made the list.
Here were the 15 Bedfordshire schools that met the mark:
9. Wilstead Primary School
This is a local authority-maintained primary school in Wilstead, just south of Bedford. It has a roll size of about 193 pupils. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 3.6%. | Google
10. Harlington Lower School
This is a lower academy in the village of Harlington. It takes pupils from age 4 to 9, and has a roll size of about 150. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 3.7%. | Google
11. Russell Lower School
This is a local authority-maintained lower school in Ampthill, which takes pupils from the ages of 5 to 9. A larger school, it has a roll size of about 449. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 3.8%. | Google
12. Bromham CofE Primary School
This is a local authority-maintained Anglican primary school in Bromham, just out of Bedford, with about 471 pupils. In the 2023/24 school year, it had an overall absence rate of 3.9%. | Google