Absences have led disadvantaged secondary school pupils to fall ‘further behind’

Disadvantaged children have fallen further behind since the pandemic (PA) - (PA Wire)

Rising rates of pupil absences in secondary schools have led to disadvantaged young people falling further behind their peers since the pandemic, a report has suggested.

Pupil absence is a “key, and growing, driver” of the attainment gap between disadvantaged pupils and their peers in England, the Education Policy Institute (EPI) think tank has said.