PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(1 September 2026)

To ask the Secretary of State for Education, how many prosecutions for school attendance offences in England in each of the last three academic years resulted in (a) a conviction, (b) a withdrawal, and (c) an unsuccessful outcome.

Asked by:
Ben Maguire (Liberal Democrat)

The Ministry of Justice publishes statistics on prosecutions, convictions and sentencing results at criminal courts in England for offences relating to school attendance.

The Outcomes by Offence data tool shows how many people have been prosecuted and convicted each year, and how many have had their cases withdrawn or received an unsuccessful outcome. The All Offences data tool shows how many cases have been prosecuted and convicted each year. To find school attendance offences, users should select Home Office offence codes 11203 and 11204. Monthly breakdowns can be used to calculate figures for each academic year.

The data does not provide figures specifically for Cornwall. However, users can extract monthly figures for the Devon and Cornwall Police Force Area. This area covers a wider geographical area than Cornwall and cannot be used to provide a Cornwall-only figure.

The Outcomes by Offence data tool and All Offences data tool are available at:

https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/criminal-justice-statistics-quarterly-march-2026.

Answered by:
()