School absences increased massively during the Covid-19 pandemic and remain high internationally. We investigate whether policy variation in restrictions influenced pupil absence during the pandemic and how this affected post-pandemic attendance and academic achievement. Variation in restrictions during autumn 2020 that restricted social contact (but that were not aimed at schools) caused higher rates of school absence at the time and in subsequent years. The school attendance of pupils from lower socio-economic groups was much more strongly impacted by variation in restrictions

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Stephen Gibbons, Sandra McNally and Piero Montebruno

6 September 2024     Paper Number CEPSP45

Download PDF - Overview: The pandemic, pupil attendance and achievement

This CEP report is published under the centre's Education and skills programme.