Special Educational Needs: Absenteeism
Commons · Question 109666 · Tabled 29 Jan 2026 · Department for Education · Official record
Answered 4 Feb 2026
Question
Asked by Claire Young
To ask the Secretary of State for Education, what guidance her Department provides to local authorities on the use of prosecutions for school non-attendance in cases where a pupil’s absence is related to special educational needs and disabilities.
Answer
Answered by Olivia Bailey, 4 Feb 2026
The department recognises that pupils with additional needs, such as special educational needs and disabilities, may face more complex barriers to school attendance, and our statutory guidance is clear that schools should take a sensitive, “support first”...