Almost 180,000 pupils are set for a life of unemployment due to 'troubling' school absence rates, a think tank has warned.
The Centre for Social Justice (CSJ) said that, without intervention, the high rates of children bunking off school will translate into joblessness.
It said the number of young people who are not in education, employment or training (Neet) is set to rise as a result.
The latest data from the Department for Education (DfE) shows that the number of children missing at least half of school time – defined as ‘severely absent’ – has risen.
A total of 147,605 children — 2.04 per cent of pupils — missed at least half of school sessions in autumn 2024, up from 1.97 per cent a year earlier.
