Table 1.
Characteristics of participating schools.
| Focus group | School type | Ofsted inspection rating | Total number of pupils | Pupils eligible for Free School Meals (%) | Rate of overall absence (%) | Rate of persistent absencea (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Mainstream city-centre faith academy b | 3 – Requires improvement | 1646 | 9.4 | 7.1 | 21.9 |
| 2 | Mainstream rural academy | 2 – Good | 1518 | 4.5 | 5.1 | 11.8 |
| 3 | Mainstream city-centre academy | 2 – Good | 908 | 11.5 | 6.9 | 20.4 |
Source: DfE school comparison tool via www.compare-school-performance.service.gov.uk. Data refers to the 2016/17 school year.
aPersistent absence refers to the percentage of pupils who miss 10% or more of school sessions in a year; National average is 13.5%.
bAcademies are independent, state-funded schools that receive funding directly from central government, and are independent of local authority control.