Education in Portsmouth
Severe absence has more than doubled since 2018/19
3.55% of Portsmouth enrolments missed at least half their sessions in 2024/25, compared with 1.69% in 2018/19. Attendance, health and additional needs overlap; these figures alone do not explain why a child is absent.
Missing at least one in ten sessions
19.74% of Portsmouth enrolments were persistently absent in 2024/25, compared with 21.40% in Southampton and 18.14% across England. Persistent absence means missing 10% or more of possible sessions.
Missing at least one in ten school sessions
2012/13 to 2024/25
Portsmouth school enrolments aged 5–15 · %
Reviewed figures: 2012/13 to 2024/25.
Shown on this chart: From 2012/13 to 2024/25, missing at least one in ten school sessions rose by 2.6 percentage points in Portsmouth school enrolments aged 5–15 and rose by 4.5 percentage points in England.
Both places compared over 2012/13 to 2024/25, using matching published dates.
Compared areas: Portsmouth school enrolments aged 5–15; England.
Actual values
Each line joins consecutive published observations for that place. Missing dates remain gaps.
Hover or tap the chart for a value. Use the date slider with touch or arrow keys. Escape closes the chart label.
No full-year 2019/20 figure: pandemic collection disruption. COVID-related non-attendance was counted as possible sessions but not absence in 2020/21 and 2021/22. Total includes primary, secondary and special schools.
A matching Chichester district series is not published in this education-authority dataset. West Sussex covers a wider area.
Source and full attendance data
| School year | Southampton | Portsmouth | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012/13 | 16.39% | 17.11% | 13.64% |
| 2013/14 | 13.04% | 14.13% | 10.67% |
| 2014/15 | 13.31% | 14.37% | 10.96% |
| 2015/16 | 10.8% | 12.82% | 10.5% |
| 2016/17 | 11.17% | 12.85% | 10.79% |
| 2017/18 | 12.26% | 13.56% | 11.17% |
| 2018/19 | 12.72% | 13.35% | 10.86% |
| 2019/20 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2020/21 | 14.66% | 13.38% | 12.08% |
| 2021/22 | 24.15% | 24.06% | 22.51% |
| 2022/23 | 23.26% | 22.46% | 21.22% |
| 2023/24 | 22.51% | 20.56% | 19.95% |
| 2024/25 | 21.4% | 19.74% | 18.14% |
Missing at least half of sessions
Severe absence was 3.55% in Portsmouth, 3.36% in Southampton and 2.39% in England in 2024/25. The severe group is included within persistent absence; do not add the two percentages together.
Missing at least half of school sessions
2012/13 to 2024/25
Portsmouth school enrolments aged 5–15 · %
Reviewed figures: 2012/13 to 2024/25.
Shown on this chart: From 2012/13 to 2024/25, missing at least half of school sessions rose by 2.3 percentage points in Portsmouth school enrolments aged 5–15 and rose by 1.8 percentage points in England.
Both places compared over 2012/13 to 2024/25, using matching published dates.
Compared areas: Portsmouth school enrolments aged 5–15; England.
Actual values
Each line joins consecutive published observations for that place. Missing dates remain gaps.
Hover or tap the chart for a value. Use the date slider with touch or arrow keys. Escape closes the chart label.
No full-year 2019/20 figure: pandemic collection disruption. COVID-related non-attendance was counted as possible sessions but not absence in 2020/21 and 2021/22. Total includes primary, secondary and special schools.
A matching Chichester district series is not published in this education-authority dataset. West Sussex covers a wider area.
Source and full attendance data
| School year | Southampton | Portsmouth | England |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2012/13 | 0.97% | 1.22% | 0.58% |
| 2013/14 | 0.89% | 1.18% | 0.57% |
| 2014/15 | 1.04% | 1.18% | 0.58% |
| 2015/16 | 0.91% | 1.17% | 0.6% |
| 2016/17 | 0.81% | 1.3% | 0.7% |
| 2017/18 | 0.92% | 1.54% | 0.77% |
| 2018/19 | 1% | 1.69% | 0.85% |
| 2019/20 | Not available | Not available | Not available |
| 2020/21 | 1.54% | 1.81% | 1.13% |
| 2021/22 | 2.11% | 2.34% | 1.65% |
| 2022/23 | 2.52% | 2.99% | 2.03% |
| 2023/24 | 2.95% | 3.16% | 2.3% |
| 2024/25 | 3.36% | 3.55% | 2.39% |
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Coverage and publication notes
A 30-year comparable local series is not available for these current definitions.
2020 and 2021 GCSE assessed grades are retained in the full table but omitted from exam trend lines. Later grading transitions and cohort differences remain relevant.
2025/26 primary and GCSE results are provisional. Progress 8 is unavailable for 2024/25 and 2025/26 because the prior-assessment baseline was disrupted.
Education data extracted and checked 2 November 2026. Download the education data and source receipts →