Children had a day off school to go and watch Taylor Swift in concert and for birthdays, report suggests.

Children may have missed school to go to Taylor Swift concerts, county shows or to celebrate their birthdays, an analysis of attendance data across the UK suggests.

The Department for Education (DfE) report identified spikes in absence rates for some pupils on the dates of Swift’s performances in Liverpool in 2024 and the Royal Norfolk Show last year. It also found absence rates were higher across all year groups on days that coincided with pupil’s birthdays.

Swift brought her Eras Tour to Liverpool’s Anfield Stadium on Thursday June 13 and Friday June 14 2024. The DfE found spikes in the absence rate of schoolgirls in the Liverpool local authority on those dates, particularly for Year 9 and Year 10 girls on the Friday.

The rate rose from 12.9% on the Friday before to 14.9% on the Friday of the concert for girls in Year 9, while the rate increased from 12.6% to 16.4% for girls in the year above on the same dates.

A comparison of absence rates for schools in Norfolk local authority between the second day of the Royal Norfolk Show last year, Thursday June 26 2025, and the Thursday before showed a higher increase in absence across all year groups than was seen nationally.

Children were also found to be more likely to miss school on their birthday. This was the most prominent among Year 8 pupils.

Across Year 8 in the 2024/25 academic year, the average absence rate stood at 12.8% for days that coincided with a pupil’s birthday, and at 8.3% for all other days.

Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said: “We’ve seen five million more days in the classroom last year – the biggest improvement in attendance in a decade. That’s real progress, but there is more to do.

“Improving attendance is everyone’s responsibility. That’s why we’re giving schools better tools to identify problems early and work with families to address them, while encouraging parents to play their part in building strong attendance habits.

“By sharing what works and backing our wider reforms to make schools places where children feel they belong, want to be and can achieve and thrive, together we can ensure more children are in the classroom every day.”