UAE Schools 2025-2026: New Attendance and Absence Policy Stricter Rules, Parental Alerts, Repeat Year Penalty
The Ministry of Education in the United Arab Emirates has adopted a new procedural guide for school attendance and absence, aimed at reinforcing classroom discipline and ensuring consistent student engagement in the learning process. This guide is based on research indicating that an absenteeism rate of just 10% can result in a learning loss equivalent to half an academic year—and this loss doubles to a full year if a student misses more than 20% of school days.
Core Attendance and Absence Regulations
School attendance is now an essential condition for student success and academic achievement, with all absences tracked daily and per class session.
The warning and disciplinary sequence begins after a single unexcused absence and escalates until the student reaches 15 unexcused days in a school year, which triggers referral to the relevant authorities.
Absence Calculation Mechanism
Unexcused absences are counted as two days if they occur on a Friday, immediately before or after public holidays, during the last two weeks of the academic year, or in any periods preceding final exams.
The maximum unexcused absences allowed are 5 days per term and 15 days per year. Exceeding this limit results in repeating the academic year and referral to child protection services.
Schools use a period-based system for greater accuracy—missing all periods in a single day counts as a full day’s absence.
Warning and Action Sequence
Written warning after the first day of absence.
First official warning after 3 days absent.
Second warning and child protection file escalation after 6 days.
Third warning and re-escalation after 10 days.
Final referral after 15 days of unexcused absence.
Accepted Excuses and Special Exceptions
Accepted excuses include medically certified illness, travel for treatment, participation in national or international events, emergencies, or the death of a first- or second-degree relative.
Special exemptions apply for students of determination and those with chronic illnesses; schools must implement individual support plans to safeguard these students’ educational rights.
Parental Notification and Right to Appeal
An instant messaging system notifies parents immediately upon a student’s absence.
Parents have the right to formally appeal absence decisions within five working days of notification, ensuring justice and transparency.
Impact of Absences on Academic Achievement
Chronic absenteeism—missing 10% of school days—causes educational loss equal to half a school year; this rises to a full year when absence exceeds 20%.
The Ministry emphasizes the importance of family-school partnerships to reinforce attendance and cultivate a more committed and disciplined school community.
Target Audience and Educational Policy Direction
The guide targets school leaders, teachers, parents, and students in public schools.
The strategy aligns with global trends to reduce dropout rates and contribute to a safer, more supportive educational environment.
Absence and Tardiness Notes with Schoolvoice
As part of the UAE Ministry of Education’s new attendance policy to improve student discipline and reduce learning loss, Schoolvoice helps schools stay proactive by sending real-time absence and tardiness notes to parents; right through the app.
What this feature offers:
Automatic alerts to parents when their child is marked absent or late.
Easy response options: parents can select from preset reasons like:
Sick
Family emergency
Medical appointment
Other (custom text)
Ability to upload supporting documents, such as a doctor’s note.
One-tap responses that make it simple and fast for parents to reply.
Digital records of attendance that schools can track and review anytime.
Why schools love it:
Saves time by eliminating manual follow-up calls or emails.
Helps enforce attendance policies more consistently.
Builds transparency and trust with families.
Improves data accuracy for reporting and internal reviews.
How to get started:
This feature can be enabled from your Schoolvoice admin dashboard.
If you’d like help setting it up or want to see it in action, book a quick intro with one of our communication experts; we’ll walk you through everything.
FAQs
What are the officially accepted excuses for absence in UAE schools?
Accepted excuses include medically certified illness, travel for medical treatment, participation in national or international events, emergencies, or the death of a first- or second-degree relative. Documentation must generally be submitted within three days of the absence to be considered valid.
What happens if a student exceeds the maximum allowed unexcused absences?
If a student exceeds 5 unexcused absences in a term or 15 in the academic year, they may be required to repeat the year and their case is referred to child protection authorities. Warnings escalate from the very first day of absence according to the outlined policy.
How are parents notified and what is their right to appeal absences?
Parents receive instant absence notifications through the school’s messaging system. They may file a formal appeal within five working days of the notification to ensure fairness and transparency.
What is the academic impact of frequent absences?
Missing 10% of school days results in major academic losses, equivalent to half an academic year, and this doubles to a full year’s loss if absences exceed 20%, significantly impacting student progression and achievement.
What is the detailed mechanism for counting double absences on Fridays or around official holidays?
A student’s absence is counted as two days instead of one if it falls on a Friday, the day immediately preceding or following an official holiday, during the two weeks before year-end, or ahead of final exams. This policy limits the practice of extending holidays or missing school at critical academic times.
Detailed Absence Calculation
If absent on a Friday: counted as two days.
If absent the day before or after any official holiday: counted as two days.
If absent during periods preceding final exams or in the last two weeks of the academic year: also counted as two days.
In all other instances, absence counts as a single day only.
