RCELI
Pupils
Schools/Trusts
Published
7.2.2026
Gender differences in peer relationships and their link with absences from school
New research from Professor John Jerrim shows that very low peer relationship scores substantially raise unauthorised absence risk among secondary girls. The effect is non-linear: the bottom tail of the distribution drives the risk, not the average. Based on TEP data covering 112,629 pupils across 129 schools in the 2024/25 academic year.
What to expect
The non-linear link between peer relationships and unauthorised absences, and why the bottom tail of the distribution matters more than the average.
Where the gender gap sits: how girls' peer relationship scores compare to boys' across every secondary year group, and why the gap emerges at secondary rather than being carried in from primary.
Practical implications for school leaders: which pupils to focus on, when in the school year the risk concentrates, and why targeted support is more likely to shift attendance than whole-cohort programmes.
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