In August 2024, the Department for Education published a new version of working together to improve school attendance. This will become statutory guidance on 19 August 2024. 

The key changes are detailed below and are integrated into our Attendance policy, which can be found here.

Granting Leaves of Absences

Schools must: 

• Only grant leaves of absence for specific circumstances set out in regulation 11 of the 2024 attendance regulations (paragraphs 37 to 40)

All schools can also grant absence for education off site (paragraphs 41 and 42).

New rules around issuing fines for unauthorised absences

The new national framework for issuing penalty notices is designed to help ensure consistency across the country.

Fines will increase to:

• £80 to be paid within 21 days, or
• £160 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days

See paragraphs 174 to 200 for more details of the new framework.

Clearer expectations for the school's senior attendance champion (Rose McDermott)

This is an ongoing responsibility of the senior leader responsible for attendance. The champion is expected to:

• Set a clear vision for improving and maintaining good attendance
• Establish and maintain effective systems for tackling absence
• Have a strong grasp of absence data
• Regularly monitor and evaluate progress

See paragraph 25.

More details about supporting pupils with physical or mental ill health

This section provides more clarification about where the role of your school starts and ends.

It also provides more information about medical evidence, support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and part-time timetables.

See paragraphs 53 to 68.

Clearer link between improving attendance and wider school culture

The guidance puts greater emphasis on working in partnership with families to find supportive routes to improve attendance (paragraphs 17 to 24).

‘Parenting contracts’ will be called ‘attendance contracts’

This better reflects the agreement between parents, schools and/or LAs (see paragraph 138 to 150).