Autistic pupils in England denied right to education as absenteeism surges, says charity

Autistic pupils are more than twice as likely to be excluded from school than their peers, said the charity. Photograph: Ben Molyneux People/Alamy

Autistic pupils are being denied their basic right to education, a leading charity has warned, as figures reveal the number persistently off school has increased by 166% in four years.

The research shows that more than a quarter of autistic children in England – 51,000 out of about 200,000 children – are persistently absent, meaning they have missed 10% or more of the school term.