The Absence Crisis Starts Before Secondary School. Here's What Primary PE Can Do About It.
Nearly 1 in 5 secondary pupils is persistently absent. And the pattern is clear: absence rises sharply at the Year 6 to Year 7 transition, then rises again between Year 7 and Year 8.
DfE data from 2024/25 puts secondary school absence at 8.44%. In primary schools, that figure is 5.20%. The gap doesn't appear overnight. It builds, and it often starts in the final year of primary school, before a child has even walked through the secondary gates.
This isn't simply about academics
When researchers at UCL studied what children actually fear about secondary school, the findings weren't about maths or English. The STARS study identified four dominant worries:
- Bullying
- Making new friends
- Navigating a bigger, more complex environment
- Managing more teachers and more expectations
These are social, emotional and organisational challenges. And they don't just appear at Year 7; they're either being built or left unaddressed throughout primary school.
The question isn't just why are secondary pupils absent. It's: what are we doing in primary school to prepare children for what comes next?
What PESSPA builds and why it matters for transition
Physical Education, School Sport and Physical Activity is one of the most powerful, and most underused, tools primary schools have for transition readiness. Done well, PE develops far more than physical literacy. Every lesson is an opportunity to build:
Resilience. Managing losing, trying again, adapting when things don't go to plan.
Communication. Working in teams, giving and receiving feedback, learning to read a situation.
Belonging. Shared experience. The feeling of being part of something. That sense of safety in a group - which is exactly what children are searching for when they arrive in Year 7.
Self-regulation. Understanding emotions, managing frustration, staying composed under pressure.
These are the skills that determine whether a child settles, or struggles, in a new environment.
The gap schools often don't see
Many primary schools deliver PE. Fewer deliver PE in a way that actively develops the social and emotional capabilities children need at transition.
There's a difference between activity and lesson. A lesson has intent. It develops something. It's planned, assessed and evidenced. It reflects on what children are learning about themselves, not just about sport.
If PE in your school is mostly about keeping children active, rather than building the whole child, the opportunity is being missed.
A practical starting point
If you're not sure how well your school's PESSPA provision is preparing children for life beyond Year 6, the PH ActiveEd PESSPA Benchmark is a good place to start.
It takes under 10 minutes to complete and gives you a clear picture of where your provision stands - across curriculum quality, physical literacy, teacher confidence, and broader pupil development.
It's free. There's no obligation. And it gives you something evidence-based to work with, whether you're reviewing your PE premium spend, preparing for Ofsted, or simply asking whether your school is doing enough for your Year 6 leavers.
