Claims extracted
19
sentences that state something as happening or true
Uncertain
0%
0 of 19 hedged
("reportedly", "may", "according to")
Leaning
not political
takes no side on a contested political question
Publisher signals
64/100
Evening Standard's corrections and
hedging, across everything collected from it. Not a measure of accuracy.
Outlets on this story
1
Education
Same framing elsewhere
1
articles that frame the event the way this one does
This is up from the 6.96% recorded in 2023/2024 and the 7.48% recorded in 2024/2025.
asserted
This → record → 2024/2025
It is followed by neighbouring borough Islington, which has an overall absence rate of 7.15% - down from 7.5% in the last reporting period.
asserted
which → follow → period
The Royal borough of Kensington and Chelsea follows in third place with an overall absence rate of 6.69%, while Hillingdon comes in closely after at 6.68%.
asserted
Hillingdon → follow → %
Westminster rounds off the top five with a rate of 6.64%.
asserted
Westminster → round → %
In comparison, the overall school absence rate in London is on the decline, now standing at 6.04% from 6.14%.
asserted
rate → stand → %
However, the percentage of “severe absentees” - those who have missed 50% or more of school sessions - has increased marginally from 1.58% to 1.61%.
asserted
who → miss → %
The area with the lowest absence rate is the City of London (4.42%), followed by Richmond upon Thames (5.25%) and Kingston upon Thames (5.38%).
asserted
area → follow → Thames
Kensington and Chelsea showed the biggest improvement in school attendance - down 0.39 percentage points from the last reporting period, despite coming in third for worst overall attendance in 2025/26.
Which London borough has the worst school attendance?
asserted
borough → show → attendance
Absence rates are generally on the decline in London - with the city boasting the lowest absence rates across all absence types in all English regions.
asserted
city → boast → regions
The overall absence rate in the capital has reduced from 6.14% in the last reporting period to 6.04% today.
asserted
rate → reduce → %
In comparison, absence rates nationally sit at 6.47% and at 7.13% in the north east of England - the region with the highest percentage.
asserted
rates → sit → percentage
Read More
The figures include pupils from state-funded secondary and primary schools, as well as SEN schools.
asserted
figures → read → schools
Overall absence rates in London were just 5.10% among Year 7 students, increasing to 8.01% for pupils in Year 11.
The crunch GCSE years 10 and 11 have absence rates of 7.85% and 8.01% respectively, while pupils in year 9 have an absence rate of 7.28%.
asserted
pupils → increase → %
It is a marginal decline on last year’s figures - where truancy rates in Year 10 and 11 stood at 7.87% and 8.21% respectively.
asserted
rates → stand → %
It’s still a stark contrast to figures in primary school where the absence rate is no higher than 5.89% in Year 1.
asserted
rate → ’ → Year
There are several drivers that account for school absences, with illness accounting for roughly half of all missed school sessions.
However, the socioeconomic gap continues to widen and is mirrored across London boroughs.
asserted
gap → be → boroughs
Those eligible for free school meals and those with special educational needs continue to face higher absence rates.
asserted
Those → continue → rates
Children from Irish traveller communities are also skipping school more over their counterparts across all age groups.
City of London Academy in Islington recorded the highest absence rate in London (10.6%) and the 25th highest in the country.
asserted
Academy → skip → country
This was followed by Kemnal Technology College in Bromley (9.5%) and Shirley High School Performing Arts College in Croydon (8.9%).
asserted
This → follow → Croydon
The Aporia
