Written Question·Department for Education·UIN 109666

Special Educational Needs: Absenteeism

Tabled: 29 January 2026

Answered: 4 February 2026

Named Day

Question

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

Olivia Bailey

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”...

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