New analysis shows alarming 257% increase in girls severely absent from school

“I’ve been in hospital twice for suicide… The first time was at the beginning of Year 9 which made me not want to go back into school… Eventually, I got kicked out of secondary school.”

“From there, I got excluded a few times, just for little things, like setting of the alarm and bunking and stuff like that. I just felt like I gained a stereotype... Like “loud, Black girl”, and that is not really tolerated. Instead of being asked, “What’s going on... Are you ok?”

"This rise in girls seriously absent from school is shocking, but unfortunately not surprising to us at Agenda Alliance.

“Girls have been telling us about the unique challenges they face for years, but access to the trauma-informed support they need to feel safe is patchy or non-existent. To make things worse, girls are too often punished for their distress, facing disciplinary action rather than care.

“It's therefore no wonder increasing numbers feel their only choice is to stay away from school. The Government needs to act on these unacceptable stats by making sure there is a clear strategy in place, developed in collaboration with girls themselves and the specialist organisations which support them.”

"We have absolutely felt this increase in our frontline work, particularly in girls and young women attending alternative education provision or at risk of disengaging entirely. It led us to establish our own gender-specific alternative provision – the first of its kind in our area – to address the growing need, but there remains a clear gap in tailored support for girls.

“Many of the girls we work with face complex challenges, including poor mental health, experiences of gender-based violence, and the absence of safe, inclusive spaces within mainstream education. Girls often share that they feel overlooked or misunderstood at school. This drives persistent absence and disconnection from learning.

“What girls need is early, consistent support that recognises their experiences, centres their voices, and provides both emotional and practical help to stay engaged in education.”

“At Advance, we work with girls across London, many of whom have missed school. The barriers to education that these girls face include a lack of support following domestic abuse, sexual violence and exploitation, involvement with the criminal justice system, and mental health challenges.

“Severe absence can lead to devastating consequences for entire families. As well as exacerbating girls’ trauma, a lack of support to return to school can drive criminal prosecutions of school truancy, which disproportionately affect mothers.

“The Government must gain a better understanding of the driving factors behind girls’ absenteeism, and fund specialist, gender-specific support services to ensure no girl is left behind due to her experiences of abuse or trauma.”

"The data on girl absenteeism is alarming, and we see the devastating impact of lack of engagement with school in our work every day. We know that severe absenteeism often leads to permanent exclusion, and that this can have recurring impacts: children excluded in Primary School are more likely to disengage throughout their school career. Our research shows that over 90% of children excluded from primary school don’t pass GCSE English and maths.

"These girls who are not engaging with school will, therefore, face severe consequences and have dramatically reduced opportunities over their lifetime. This is why intervening early, to support them as soon as possible is the best way to ensure that they can thrive."