Researchers warn that levels of engagement in education and school “drop dramatically” among year 7 pupils between autumn and spring and “never fully recover”.
The study tracked more than 80,000 pupils from 200 schools across the 2024/25 academic year and looked at the impact of disengagement on attendance, attainment, and wellbeing.
The findings have been published (Jerrim, 2025) by the Commission on Engagement and Lead Indicators, led by ImpactEd Group in partnership with the Association of School and College Leaders, Confederation of School Trusts, Reach Foundation, and Challenge Partners.
The report uses a number of indicators of engagement, including feelings of enjoyment, trust, agency, and safety in school as well as factors such as determination to succeed, peer and staff relationships, views of behaviour, and the value pupils place on education.
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