New data has revealed the schools in the country with the highest rates of truancy – with two in Greater Manchester in the top 20.
Pupils at state-funded secondaries in Greater Manchester missed the equivalent of around one in 26 days through unauthorised absences in the 2024/25 academic year – a rate of 3.8 percent.
That rate of lost “school sessions”, to use the official term, was above the national average of 3.2% – which itself is almost double that of pre-pandemic levels, when just 1.8% of sessions were lost to unauthorised absences in the 2018/19 academic year.
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You can use our interactive table to find out the truancy rates at every state-funded secondary school in England.
Buile Hill Academy in Salford had the highest rate in Greater Manchester, with more than one in every nine school sessions last year (11.7%) were lost due to unauthorised absences. That saw the school ranked ninth in the whole of England.
When contacted for a comment, the school said: “Buile Hill Academy has undergone rapid and significant improvement since joining Northern Education Trust.
“GCSE performance has risen dramatically: the proportion of students achieving grade 5+ in English and maths has surged from around 16% in 2024 to nearly 50% in 2025. Overall attainment has strengthened too, with English and maths 4+ increasing from 33% to 65.1% and 5+ rising from 16.8% to 49.4%.
“Attendance is also improving, and DfE data now places the academy among the ten most improved schools in the North West. Throughout this transformation, the academy has maintained a clear commitment to being both outcomes‑focused and child‑centred.”
Denton Community Academy in Tameside had the region’s next highest rate of unauthorised absences at 11.2%, ranking 14th in the country. That was followed by Dixons Brooklands Academy in Manchester at 10.8%, and Manchester Enterprise Academy also at 10.8, ranked at 21 and 22.
When contacted for comment, Denton Community Academy said: “Northern Education Trust Denton Community Academy has also undergone a rapid transformation since joining the trust.
“Their results have doubled in a short space of time, with the proportion of students achieving a grade 5 or above in English and maths rising from 26% to 52%.
“Attendance at Denton has also improved and overall absence has reduced. It is important to recognise that attendance is a national issue facing all schools, and describing this simply as ‘truancy’ does not reflect the full picture.
“As with all trust academies, Denton has clear and consistent systems in place, alongside strong pastoral support and works closely with families, to ensure students attend regularly and are well supported.
“These improvements were recognised in the school’s most recent Ofsted letter, which highlighted strengths in education, behaviour and the wider school culture.”
But it was Tameside that had the highest rate of unauthorised absences of any borough last year, with one in every 20 sessions (5.1%) lost to unauthorised absences. That puts Tameside just ahead of Salford (5.0%), Rochdale (4.8%) and Manchester (4.3%).
By contrast, just 1.5% of school sessions at state-funded secondaries in Trafford were lost to unauthorised absences last year. That’s the lowest rate in the county ahead of Wigan (3.2%), Bolton (3.4%) and Stockport (3.5%).
Fir Vale Academy in Sheffield was England’s most truant secondary school last year with 17.1% of sessions missed through truancy. The Co-op Academy in Leeds has the next highest rate in the country with 13.3%, followed by Saint Edmund Arrowsmith Catholic Academy in Knowsley with 13.1%.
That’s followed by The Basildon Upper Academy in Essex at 12.8%, Alsop High School in Liverpool at 12.7%, Leeds East Academy in Leeds at 12.5%, and Aylesbury UTC in Buckinghamshire at 12.3%.
Greater Manchester’s 10 highest rates
9. Buile Hill Academy, Salford: 11.7%
14. Denton Community Academy, Tameside: 11.2%
21. Dixons Brooklands Academy, Manchester: 10.8%
22. Manchester Enterprise Academy, Manchester: 10.8%
47. Werneth School, Stockport: 9.3%
81. The Albion Academy, Salford: 8.4%
83. Rayner Stephens High School, Tameside: 8.4%
124. Co-op Academy Manchester, Manchester: 7.8%
168. Cedar Mount Academy, Manchester: 7.1%
172. Hyde High School, Tameside: 7.1%
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