One in six autistic pupils in UK have not attended school at all since September

Data comes as government prepares to publish plans to overhaul Send system in England

One in six autistic pupils have not been to school at all since the start of this academic year, according to a new survey which found that mental health issues were often behind high levels of school absence.

Nearly half (45%) of the parents and children who responded to the UK-wide survey by the Ambitious About Autism charity said they felt “blamed” by the government for the absences.

Of those who missed school, 62% said it was due to mental health issues and 30% said they were too physically unwell to go to school. A fifth said their school place was not suitable.

The poll of nearly 1,000 autistic young people and their families comes as the government prepares to publish long-awaited plans to overhaul the special educational needs and disabilities (Send) system in England.