NEW research shows that one in 45 children in Essex are now missing at least half of their school lessons.

It comes as new data from the Department for Education shows severe absence rates have risen across England since before the coronavirus pandemic.

The Government announced thousands more pupils will receive the support of a specialist attendance mentor to give them a boost from April 2025.

But there have been calls for quicker and further action to tackle “endemic” severe school absence.

In Essex, 2.2 per cent of pupils were severely absent in the spring term last year, which is up significantly from 0.8 per cent in 2018-19.

The figures show authorised absences due to illness was the main reason for severe absence across the country.

Beth Prescott, programme lead at the Centre for Social Justice, said: “The crisis of kids missing school shows no sign of abating.

“The Government’s recent expansion of the attendance mentors programme and curriculum review is welcome, as is the education minister’s focus on this issue.

"But school absence has now become endemic, with parents often thinking it is not essential for children to attend school every day.

“Without faster and further action, like the national roll-out of attendance mentors and a parental participation strategy, we will be picking up the pieces from this unfolding social disaster for years to come.”

Pepe Di’Iasio, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, said: “These children are missing out on a huge chunk of vital learning and schools need support to help them return to the classroom.

“This will require investment in attendance support services to help identify the reasons behind these prolonged absences, and to work towards solutions.”

Persistent absence - children missing at least 10 per cent of their lessons, has also increased during the pandemic, with the rate rising to 21.5 per cent nationally last spring.

The overall national absence rate – which includes authorised and unauthorised punctual, persistent and severe absences – increased from 4.8 per cent to 7.2 per cent in the past five years.