Worst secondary schools for truancy as Yorkshire has seven in top 20 – full list

Co-op Academy Leeds had England’s highest rate of unauthorised absence among state-funded secondary schools in the latest figures, with pupils missing 14.4% of sessions. The figures matter because unauthorised absences are linked to lower academic achievement and a widening attainment gap.

Across secondary schools in England, unauthorised absence accounted for 2.9% of sessions in autumn and spring 2025/26, about twice the pre-pandemic rate. This represented 11.7 million missed school days; 9.3 million were recorded for “other” reasons. Pupils eligible for free school meals missed 6% of sessions for unauthorised reasons, compared with 1.7% for other pupils. Seven Yorkshire schools appeared in the top 20, including Leeds East Academy at 12.3% and Sheffield’s Fir Vale Academy at 11.4%.