School threatening fines

Hi,

Firstly, I just want to apologise for the late reply and also say thank you for your advice and messages. I’m not sure what it will entail if you mean me teaching my child ad I’m not good with writing and my English I use chat GPT to write messages and emails etc etc !

I’ve been looking into IPSEA and trying to find the right information, but I’ve really been struggling to get the answers I need.

One of the main things I’m trying to resolve is how the school keeps shifting the blame onto me regarding my daughter’s attendance issues, even though they know exactly why she is refusing to attend. Instead of acknowledging the real reasons, they are threatening me with fines. They are also not properly acknowledging the doctors’ letters I have sent, and despite this medical evidence, they have continued to mark her absences as unauthorised.

When I first sent the initial doctor’s letter, my daughter’s attendance was at 52%. Because they have ignored the medical evidence and kept marking her absences unauthorised, her attendance has now dropped even further to 30%. It feels like the school are deliberately creating a situation to blame me, rather than accepting responsibility for the fact that the environment is not safe or suitable for her.

I did formally request alternative education from the Local Authority on 19th March, alongside submitting amendments for the EHCP. However, I’m not sure how long it will take for them to respond, and to be honest, I’m really worried they are going to say no.

I have also refused two referrals that the school made to Early Help. This is because it is not a parenting issue — it is a problem with the school environment. My daughter wants to learn, and she wants to be educated, but she feels unsafe and unable to cope in that particular school environment. From my understanding, Early Help is more appropriate where there are parenting difficulties, struggles with routines at home, or a lack of willingness to attend school — none of which apply here. Her refusal is not because of home issues; it is because of the trauma and anxiety caused by that specific school setting.

Another really important point I need to explain is that, because of my daughter’s autism, if she is asked a question by a professional (whether it’s school staff or someone she doesn’t really know), she will not give her true feelings. Instead, she will either agree with what she thinks they want her to say or will say something just to end the conversation. She finds it extremely difficult to trust anyone outside of me, her dad, and she only expresses her true feelings honestly to me. I’m really worried that people may not realise this, and as a result, may wrongly assume that everything is okay when it clearly isn’t.

I’m going to be completely honest – I’m extremely worried that the school will try to force my daughter to continue attending. If that happens, I know I will not be able to sleep at all due to the stress and fear. My daughter has made suicidal comments to me about being forced to return to school. I believe that alone speaks volumes about how bad and unsafe the situation is for her.

The school knows that my daughter is constantly scared — she shakes, her heart races, and she avoids eye contact, looking straight down at the floor whenever certain pupils are nearby or even glance at her. These are the same pupils who have been involved in multiple bullying incidents against her. She even refuses to move into areas where they are present, and if she has to, she keeps her head down, looking only at the floor.

I feel like the school’s actions — or rather their continued failure to take effective action — are putting my daughter’s mental health and safety at serious risk. I just don’t know how to properly challenge this situation without being unfairly blamed or threatened even more.

Any guidance or advice you can offer would be massively appreciated.

Thank you so much again for your time and support.

Hi all,
Does anyone know which department at the Local Authority I should speak to about school attendance issues? The school is threatening fines and marking absences as unauthorised, even though we’ve provided medical evidence (mental health). They’re not following the SEND Code of Practice or Department for Education policy.
I called the main switchboard but was told there are a few different departments in education. Has anyone been through this and know the right team to contact?
Thanks in advance!

hi

Thank you for your reply!

Last week I asked to speak with the Attendance Team, but they just passed me straight back to the EHCP team again

I’ve already tried speaking with the EHCP coordinator from the LA, but honestly, he’s been no help—he just doesn’t seem interested or willing to support us properly.

It is really frustrating considering I’m trying to get the attendance issues looked at properly.

I also contacted the headteacher via to ask for the attendance codes to be reviewed, especially after I sent two separate doctors’ letters—one on 17th February and another on 10th March. Neither of these have even been acknowledged. The headteacher replied saying he “appreciates the letters” but that they don’t specifically state that my child is unfit to attend school. He’s now requesting very specific medical evidence that says my child’s is not fit for school, for how long, and what support is required.

And finished his letter by saying I will not be responding to any emails unless it’s medical evidence that I’ve specifically requested!!!

It’s just not fair. Everything my child has been through this term is well documented, and what she went through in the first three weeks of September alone is more than what most children experience in their entire lives. It has severely impacted her mental health, yet this continues to be brushed aside.

Thank you I appreciate your advice it’s brilliant theres nice people like you all on here 👍

Thank you so much for your advice — I really appreciate it.

Surely the school must be out of order for not saying anything until months later, and only now raising an issue after I asked why the medical letters dated 17th February and 10th March were never acknowledged. I sent them more than once and heard nothing — not even a request for clarification. Now they’re saying the wording wasn’t right, but they never explained that before. It feels completely unfair and like they’re shifting blame instead of supporting my child.

I’ve already written a letter to our GP explaining the full situation, so hopefully he can now write a new letter using the specific wording the school wants. But to be honest, none of this addresses what my daughter has actually been through.

In just the first three weeks of the term, she went through more than what most children would experience in a lifetime. She came home nearly every day in tears because of people being nasty to her, and because she had no friends. She spent break times completely alone — only with staff — and felt completely excluded. She would cry and say things like, “I’ll just have to put up with it — there’s nothing I can do.” That was heartbreaking to hear.

She nearly always cries herself to sleep, and even once she’s asleep, she’s still sobbing. Watching that as a parent is unbearable. No child should be made to feel that hopeless and broken just from going to school.

I completely agree with her decision to stop attending. She has autism and sensory needs, and the mainstream setting has completely failed her — both emotionally and educationally. We have a CAMHS appointment on the 20th, and I’m going to explain everything in the hope they can also support with a letter. We visited a special school last week that felt like a much more suitable environment, so I’m hoping that brings some positive change.

Thank you again for the support — it genuinely means a lot just to have someone listen and understand.