The Welsh Government published new school attendance figures yesterday, covering 1 September to 9 October 2026.
Overall attendance has improved marginally compared with the equivalent period last year, but significant differences remain between pupils eligible for free school meals and their peers.
| Measure | 2025–26 | 2026–27 |
|---|---|---|
| Overall attendance | 92.0% | 92.1% |
| Pupils eligible for free school meals | 86.9% | 86.9% |
| Pupils not eligible for free school meals | 93.6% | 93.7% |
| Year 7 attendance | 94.3% | 94.8% |
| Year 11 attendance | 88.5% | 88.5% |
The most significant finding is the 6.8-percentage-point attendance gap between pupils eligible for free school meals and those who are not.
Although overall attendance has improved by 0.1 percentage points, attendance among disadvantaged pupils has not improved.
The figures also show that attendance declines as pupils move through secondary education.
The longer-term comparison is particularly concerning. In the 2024–25 academic year, overall attendance was 91.1%, compared with 94.3% before the pandemic in 2018–19.
Among pupils eligible for free school meals, attendance fell from 91.2% to 85.4% over the same period.
Why it matters: Attendance is closely associated with educational attainment and the ability of schools to support disadvantaged pupils.
The figures suggest that Wales’s attendance recovery remains uneven and that policies addressing poverty, wellbeing and school engagement require continued scrutiny.
Important distinction: The latest figures are provisional management information, not accredited official statistics. Persistent-absence figures for the current academic year will be published after the autumn half-term.
