Parent & Carer Hub

Why has school sent me this attendance letter?

School attendance letters can sound formal and alarming. This tool helps you understand the likely trigger, what the letter means and what to do next.

ATTENDANCE LETTER DECODER

Understand the letter before you worry about it.

Schools send different attendance letters for different reasons. Some are simply early warnings or invitations to talk. Others are part of a more formal process.

Not every percentage mentioned in a letter is a legal threshold. Schools often use their own internal triggers to start a conversation early. This tool separates those school-level triggers from the national definitions and legal thresholds that apply in England.

England: this version is based on current Department for Education attendance guidance for England. Your school's attendance policy and your local authority's penalty notice code can add local detail.
1

What sort of letter have you received?

Choose the closest match. The exact title may be different at your school.

2

Check the trigger mentioned in your letter

These are the main figures parents commonly see.

96% / 95%

School monitoring threshold

A school may choose to write when attendance falls below a level such as 96% or 95%.

This is usually a school policy trigger, not a national legal threshold.
90%

Persistent absence

National statistics describe a pupil as persistently absent when they have missed 10% or more of their possible sessions.

This is a national attendance definition, not automatically a fine threshold.
50%

Severe absence

A pupil who has missed 50% or more of possible sessions is described nationally as severely absent.

This normally signals a need for intensive support.
10 sessions

Penalty Notice national threshold

A Penalty Notice must be considered when there are at least 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling 10-school-week period.

Ten sessions usually equals five school days. It is not the same as 90% attendance.
3

Help me understand my own situation

You do not need exact figures. This creates a simple explanation, not a legal decision.

4

The letters, from least to most formal

1
Information / early concern

School notices a change or its own internal threshold is reached.

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2
Conversation / meeting / support

School seeks to understand the reason and agree support.

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3
Persistent or repeated concern

Further letters may record the concern, attendance pattern and support offered.

↓
4
Notice to Improve

Usually a final opportunity to engage with support where the national unauthorised-absence threshold has been met and support is appropriate.

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5
Penalty Notice or other legal intervention

Formal action may follow depending on the circumstances, unauthorised absence and local authority process.

Important: this is a typical pathway, not a compulsory sequence in every case. For example, unauthorised term-time leave can lead to Penalty Notice consideration without a Notice to Improve where support is not considered appropriate.
5

Medical evidence: what does that letter mean?

Schools may need to clarify repeated or concerning illness absence, but parents should not assume that every illness automatically requires a doctor's letter.

It may mean:
  • the school wants to understand repeated illness absence;
  • it is considering what support or adjustments may help;
  • it needs more information where there is genuine doubt about the reason recorded.
Evidence does not always mean a GP letter.

Depending on the circumstances, evidence might include appointment information, prescriptions or other available health information. If you cannot provide what has been requested, talk to the school rather than simply ignoring the letter.

6

Need to reply to the school?

Create a calm response that acknowledges the letter and asks for clarity.

What this tool is based on

This tool uses the Department for Education's current statutory attendance guidance and parent communication guidance for England. School policies and local authority penalty notice codes should also be checked because they may set local processes and early-warning triggers.

This is an explanation tool, not legal advice. If you have received an actual Penalty Notice or court document, follow the instructions and deadlines in that document and seek appropriate advice if needed.

Letters should start conversations, not confusion.

Understand the trigger. Understand the child. Work out the next step together.