ONS-backed study shows school absence a factor in child mental illness

School absences "significantly contribute" to children's mental ill health, according to research backed by the Office for National Statistics (ONS) that shows the risks increase the longer a child is absent.

- Richard Adams

"Our research shows that the more times a child is absent from school, the greater the probability that they will experience mental ill health," the authors concluded.

The study, involving more than 1 million school-age children in England, found that lengthy absences increased the likelihood of later hospital treatment.

Experts called for further research to find out what initially causes the poor attendance, with secondary schools in England recording persistently high rates of absence since the Covid pandemic of 2020-21.