New attendance rules take effect from September 1, giving every mainstream state school in England its own individual improvement target, monitored for the first time by the Department for Education (DfE). Parents who take their children on unauthorised term-time holidays or fail to improve attendance could face fines of up to £160 per parent per child.
The move comes as DfE attendance data shows the absence rate across all schools rose to 6.93 per cent in 2025/26, significantly higher than the pre-Covid pandemic baseline of 4.73 per cent in 2018/19. Nearly one in five pupils missed at least 10 per cent of school, prompting the Labour government to introduce what it calls Attendance Baseline Improvement Expectations (ABIEs).
How the new targets work
The ABIEs set minimum improvement expectations year by year, calibrated using AI against an individual school's previous attendance and benchmarked against similar schools. Schools are expected to meet these targets, although there are no immediate penalties for missing them. However, consistent underperformance will be escalated, and increased Ofsted scrutiny means pressure is mounting.
According to DfE guidelines issued in August 2024, schools must consider fines if a child misses five or more days unauthorised. Fines cost £80 if paid within 21 days, or £160 if paid within 28 days, per parent per child. If a parent gets a second fine for the same child within three years, it costs £160 immediately. For a third unauthorised absence, other action such as prosecution is considered, which could result in a fine of up to £2,500 or a jail sentence of up to three months.
Support before fines
The government says that in most cases, schools and local authorities will try to provide support to help improve a child's attendance. Only if this support is ineffective, or the absence is for an unauthorised term-time holiday, will parents face fines. The aim is to work with families to address underlying issues rather than penalise them straight away.
Legal firm Browne Jacobson advises schools to "find out what your target is and how it was calculated. If it looks wrong for your context, query it early rather than six months in." They also recommend accessing your similar schools report to identify which schools the DfE is benchmarking you against, and contacting your local Attendance and Behaviour Hub if you think you are likely to be off-track. "Being proactive is always better than waiting for the DfE to call first," the firm said.
Impact on parents and schools
For parents, the key change is the potential for fines starting at £80 and rising to £160, with repeat offences leading to higher penalties. Schools, meanwhile, must now navigate new targets that could affect their Ofsted ratings if they consistently underperform. The DfE will keep a close eye on progress, making this one of the most significant attendance measures in recent years.
As the September 1 deadline approaches, both schools and parents need to understand their responsibilities. The new rules apply to all mainstream state schools in England, and while support is offered first, the financial penalties are real. With absence rates still above pre-pandemic levels, the government is clearly prioritising attendance as a key area for improvement.
