25/08/2026
📢 New Attendance Guidance Is Here: What SEN Parents Need to Know
The Department for Education has published updated statutory attendance guidance for schools and local authorities. It applies from this new term, and there are some important points every SEN family should be aware of, including changes to fines.
💷 Penalty notices are going up If a parent is issued a penalty notice for unauthorised absence:
🔹 First notice: £160 (£80 if paid within 21 days)
🔹 Second notice (same parent, same child, within 3 years): a flat £160, no early payment discount
🔹 A third notice can't be issued within that 3-year window, the case moves to other action instead, which may include prosecution
Notices can still only be issued once a pupil hits 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling 10-school-week period.
🧩 But here's what matters most for our families The guidance is clear: schools must be "particularly mindful" of pupils who are absent because of mental or physical ill health, or because of their SEND and give them additional support, not just sanctions. (Key protections are in the picture below)
📌 A word of caution: The guidance is also clear that anxiety about attending school doesn't, by itself, remove the expectation to attend, schools are expected to work with families to address the anxiety rather than simply accept ongoing absence. If your child's attendance difficulties are linked to unmet SEN, this is exactly the kind of "barrier" the guidance says schools and local authorities must work together to remove, so it's worth raising this explicitly, in writing, with the school and (where relevant) the local authority.
💡 If your child is struggling to attend because of their SEND or a health condition, ask your school to record this clearly, request reasonable adjustments in writing, and don't be afraid to reference this guidance if you feel it isn't being followed.
