DfE releases updated attendance guidance: strengthening the focus on systematic improvement
Posted: 10 July 2026
The Department for Education has just released the updated Working together to improve school attendance statutory guidance for schools, trusts and local authorities.
Originally introduced in August 2024, the guidance represented an important shift in how schools approach attendance. The focus moved beyond simply recording absence and responding to individual cases, towards a more structured approach based on understanding barriers, providing support and improving outcomes.
The 2026 update continues this journey, providing further clarity around what effective attendance improvement looks like in practice.
Attendance improvement requires more than accurate data
The updated guidance reinforces that successful improvement requires a systematic approach.
Schools are expected to:
- understand attendance patterns across pupils and cohorts
- identify emerging concerns early
- use evidence to inform decisions
- provide timely and appropriate interventions
- review whether support is making a difference
This means schools need more than headline attendance figures. They need to understand the story behind the data and have confidence that the right actions are being taken at the right time.
The challenge for schools
For many schools, the challenge is not accessing attendance information. The challenge is turning that information into consistent action.
Effective attendance improvement requires:
- clear processes that everyone understands
- visibility of pupils requiring support
- structured workflows for interventions
- accurate records of communication and activity
- evidence of impact over time
As expectations continue to develop, schools and trusts increasingly need to demonstrate how they identify barriers, support pupils and evaluate improvement.
How Attend supports this approach
Attend has been designed around the principles reinforced by the updated DfE guidance.
Rather than focusing only on attendance reporting, Attend helps schools create a structured improvement approach by bringing together:
- Data and insight – helping schools identify patterns, trends and pupils requiring support
- Early identification – highlighting emerging concerns before absence becomes entrenched
- Consistent processes – supporting schools to manage interventions, communications and actions
- Evidence of impact – providing a clear record of support and improvement activity
The DfE’s 2026 update reinforces the direction that many schools are already moving towards: attendance improvement is a continuous process requiring accurate information, professional judgement and effective systems.
Attend provides schools with the data, workflows and evidence needed to move from identifying attendance concerns to delivering structured improvement activity. By combining attendance insight, early identification and consistent intervention processes, Attend helps schools build a systematic approach aligned with the expectations set out in the DfE guidance.
Talk to our team about strengthening your attendance improvement approach.
You can view and download the DfE’s document here: DfE: Working together to improve school attendance July 2026.