Question to the Department for Education:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the total percentage absentee rate of (1) head teachers, (2) teachers, and (3) teaching assistants, since the beginning of the academic year.

The requested data is not yet available. The daily Education Setting survey asks schools and colleges to report data such as on-site attendance and COVID-19 absence.

The most recent published data for staff absences at national level from the daily education settings survey is as at 3 February 2022 and can be found in: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/attendance-in-education-and-early-years-settings-during-the-coronavirus-covid-19-outbreak.

The department estimates that 9.1% of teachers and school leaders, and 9.0% of teaching assistants and other staff were absent from open schools on 3 February 2022.

Data relating to teacher and teaching assistant absence over time is collected from state funded schools in England from the November school workforce census. Each census collects data for absence from the previous academic year. The November 2021 census, covering the 2020-21 academic year will be published in summer 2022 at: https://explore-education-statistics.service.gov.uk/find-statistics/school-workforce-in-england.