Nearly one in five school sessions in England were missed during the peak of last month’s heatwave, new figures reveal.
On June 26, when temperatures soared to a punishing 37.7C and parts of the country were under a rare “red” warning for extreme heat, the pupil absence rate reached an estimated 18.4 per cent.
This absence rate measures the proportion of school sessions missed in state-funded schools, with one session equivalent to half a day. Data published by the Department for Education (DfE) shows the rate rose steadily throughout the week of the June heatwave.
An estimated 6.8 per cent of sessions were missed on June 22, climbing to 7.4 per cent on June 23, 12.6 per cent on June 24, and 16.2 per cent on June 25, before hitting its peak on June 26.
The 18.4 per cent figure marks the highest daily absence rate recorded so far during the 2025/26 academic year.
These statistics encompass 98 per cent of all state-funded schools in England.
More than 1,000 schools either closed or partially closed on the Thursday and Friday of that week, according to figures compiled at the time by the Press Association.
Many schools cited the red weather warning and the hot conditions as reasons for shutting their doors, with some explaining classrooms lacked air conditioning and that travel to and from the premises could be risky in the high temperatures.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had urged parents to send children to school if they remained open, warning “every day of absence and lesson missed has a cost”.
The figure of 18.4% covers both authorised and unauthorised absences.
Some 11.4% of sessions on June 26 were missed due to authorised absence – where pupils had permission not to attend school – while 7.0% were missed through unauthorised absence.
The DfE data also shows the estimated absence rate for primary schools on June 26 was 17.4%, with 19.3% for secondary schools and 32.5% for special schools.
A DfE spokesperson said: “Hot weather can be a struggle, but the vast majority of schools have done a fantastic job keeping children learning safely during the recent heatwave, and this is continuing through this week.
“Schools are putting measures in place, so they remain the best place for children to be, even during a heatwave.
“Where schools remained open, nine in 10 pupils attended as normal, as teachers pulled out all the stops to keep classrooms cool and children learning.
“Every day in school counts – whether it’s vital water safety lessons ahead of the summer holiday or getting ready to hit the ground running in September – so as we head towards the end of term, our ask of teachers, parents and children is to keep doing what you’re doing, and get yourself into school.”
