Schools across the country showed the game in classrooms on Monday
School attendance across England plummeted on Monday morning, with roughly 332,000 children absent compared to the previous week, as families recovered from watching the national team's thrilling 3-2 World Cup triumph against Mexico.
Morning registration figures dropped by more than three percentage points, falling from 93.09 per cent last Monday to 89.79 per cent, according to preliminary data gathered from over 12,000 state schools.
The decline came after England manager Thomas Tuchel encouraged parents to "write an excuse for school and let them watch" the match.
Secondary school pupils were particularly likely to miss classes. The match had originally been scheduled for 1am but kicked off an hour later due to poor weather conditions in Mexico City.
Real-time data from the Arbor management information system, which serves more than half of England's schools, revealed that unauthorised absences nearly doubled from 2.92 per cent to 5.61 per cent. Scaled to the national pupil population, this represents approximately 193,000 additional unauthorised absences compared to the week before.
Teenagers proved far more likely to stay home than younger children. Year 9 pupils saw attendance tumble by over 10 percentage points, equating to around 66,000 missing students.
By contrast, reception-age children were barely affected, with attendance dipping just 1.4 percentage points, or roughly 7,800 pupils.
The Department for Education has yet to confirm the figures, which exclude Year 11 and Year 13 students who have largely finished their examinations.
A Department for Education spokesman emphasised the unifying power of the tournament, stating: "The World Cup is bringing the whole country together, and schools are at the heart of that celebration.
"There's no better place for children to share in the excitement, cheer together and create lasting memories with their friends."
The spokesman praised schools that organised screenings, football tournaments and other themed events, adding: "It's fantastic to see schools marking the occasion with screenings, football tournaments and other events and great to know so many children came in today ready to be part of it all."
The department urged all schools to bring tournament excitement into classrooms and called on parents to ensure their children attended to participate in the celebrations.
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Several schools that adopted flexible approaches reported remarkable success in maintaining attendance despite the late-night fixture.
Annfield Plain infant school in Stanley, County Durham, achieved perfect attendance by extending registration until 10am, giving football-loving families additional time to recover.
"It's really worked for us," said headteacher Martin Urwin. "Attendance is a really big priority for us."
The school opened at its usual 7.30am time with a World Cup-themed breakfast, showed a replay of the match, and organised a playground penalty shoot-out.
Hill Avenue Academy primary school in Wolverhampton took a similar approach with an extended registration window.
"It's been absolutely wonderful," said headteacher Daniel Steventon.
"There's been a really fantastic buzz around school. There were children coming in the car park this morning singing 'It's coming home'."
