One in six autistic students have not been to school since the start of this academic year, according to a new survey that found mental health issues are often behind high levels of school absence.
Almost half (45%) of parents and children who responded to a UK-wide survey by the Ambitious About Autism charity said they felt “blamed” by the government for those who did not.
Of those who missed school, 62% said it was due to mental health issues and 30% said they were physically unfit to go to school. A fifth said their school was inappropriate.
The poll of nearly 1,000 autistic youngsters and their families comes as the government prepares to publish long-awaited plans to overhaul England’s special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) system.
The government is expected to introduce measures that it claims are aimed at improving the provision of mainstream schools so that they are better able to meet the needs of children with Send, although it accepts some students who will always need a specialist place.
About 70% of autistic students are educated in mainstream schools, but absenteeism rates are high due to anxiety, over-sensitivity and insufficient support. Parents are concerned that the new investment will not be enough and the environment will continue to be unsuitable for many students.
Analysis of Ambitious About Autism’s survey responses found that 16.2% of respondents had been out of school since September. One third (32.8%) missed one to five days, 11.3% missed six to 10 days, 12.2% missed between 11 and 20 days and 7.4% missed between 20 and 40 days.
Jolanta Lasota, chief executive of Ambitious About Autism, said: “We cannot allow another generation of young people to miss out on opportunities to learn, develop and achieve.
The latest national figures published by the Department of Education shows that autistic children have a higher absenteeism rate than children and young people without special needs.
In the 2024-25 school year in England, those with autism spectrum disorder missed almost 11% of sessions in mainstream and special schools, and more than 28% were classified as persistently absent by the Department for Education. In contrast, only 14% of children without special needs are chronically absent.
The figures also show that 5.5% of autistic students miss 50% or more of their time at school, five times more than those without special needs.
Among those who were absent was Sarah Greaves’ autistic son Sam, 13, who is now being educated at home after his transition to secondary school left him with “autistic burnout”.
“He doesn’t want to be here anymore, let alone go to school,” Greaves said. “Old Sam is now completely gone; he rarely leaves the house. If I wasn’t self-employed, I’d have to quit my job to support him.
“What Sam needs at school will make life better for everyone. He needs less focus on strict rules for the small issues that cause anxiety in autistic youth and less focus on strict school uniform policies that cause sensory needs.”
On the government’s overhaul, Greaves said: “Everyone is afraid that the health and education care plans [which legally guarantee additional support tailored to an individual child’s needs] will be taken.” He said his message to the government was: “Don’t take away our legal backs.”
Erin, 20, from Hertfordshire, is in her final year of school, studying for a BTEC after missing out on her education. He told the Guardian: “School was very difficult for me, and I missed a lot of it.
“My autism was undiagnosed and I struggled with fatigue, burnout, and what I now know is an autistic meltdown.
“I hope that the government’s reforms will create a cultural change in mainstream schools that will make them more accessible to autistic students.
A spokesperson for the Department for Education said: “We are laying the groundwork for an inclusive education system where children are supported from the earliest stages and can thrive in schools that meet their individual needs, close to home.
“Our reforms will end the postcode lottery of support and tackle the barriers that keep Send children out of school. We are already making this happen by expanding access to mental health support teams, investing £200m to train all Send teachers and committing at least £3bn to create 50,000 new specialist places.