The Department for Education (DfE) is implementing new attendance targets for schools starting 1 September, with progress closely monitored as part of a wide-ranging attendance overhaul initiated by the Labour government under Mayor Andy Burnham.
DfE data reveals that the overall pupil absence rate across all schools in England rose to 6.93 per cent in the 2025/26 academic year. This is a significant increase from the pre-Covid baseline rate of 4.73 per cent recorded in 2018/19. Additionally, nearly one in five pupils missed at least 10 per cent of school sessions.
In response to this concerning trend, every mainstream state school will now receive an individual attendance improvement target. These Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectations (ABIEs) are set annually and are tailored to each school’s previous attendance records. The targets are calculated using artificial intelligence and are benchmarked against similar schools, providing a data-driven approach to improving attendance.
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While there are no immediate penalties for schools that do not meet their attendance targets, persistent underperformance will trigger escalation procedures and increase scrutiny from Ofsted inspectors.
The government emphasises that most cases will be managed through supportive measures involving both schools and local authorities to help improve pupil attendance. However, if these efforts fail or if absences are due to unauthorised term-time holidays, parents may face fines.
Under new DfE guidelines issued in August 2024, schools should consider issuing fines when a child has five or more unauthorised days of absence. The penalty structure is as follows:
- £80 if paid within 21 days
- £160 if paid within 28 days
These fines are applied per parent per child. If a parent receives a second fine in relation to the same child within three years, a £160 fine is imposed immediately.
For a third instance of unauthorised absence, authorities may pursue further action such as prosecution. This could result in fines of up to £2,500 or, in extreme cases, imprisonment for up to three months.
Legal firm Browne Jacobson advises schools to engage proactively with the new system: “Find out what your attendance target is and how it was determined. If it seems inappropriate for your school’s context, raise concerns early rather than after six months. Access your similar schools report to understand the benchmarks. If you anticipate difficulty in meeting targets, contact your local Attendance and Behaviour Hub promptly. Being proactive is always better than waiting for the DfE to initiate contact.”