Attendance

Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life. Most children are normally educated at school and regular attendance is of vital importance. Poor school attendance damages educational achievement and the future progress of young people. Promoting and supporting good attendance at school is essential to learning and attainment.

Responsibilities

The Law

By law, all children of compulsory school age (between 5 and 16) must be provided with a suitable full-time education. Parents are responsible for making sure this happens, either by registering your child at a school or by making other arrangements which provide an effective education. If your child is registered as a pupil at a particular school, that school must give permission for him or her to be absent. If your child does not go to the school at which he or she is registered, the County Council could take legal action against you.

What can Parents do to Help?

Make sure that your child goes to school regularly, arrives on time and keeps to the school's rules on going to all lessons. It's a good idea to start these positive habits at an early age, while your child is in primary school.
If your child starts missing school, help the school to put things right. Make sure your child understands that you do not approve of him or her missing school.
If your child is ill, contact the school on the first day of your child's illness. Staff will be concerned if they do not hear anything.
If your child is ever off school, you must tell the school why. Do this by following the arrangements put in place by the school.
If you want permission for your child to miss school for example because of a special occasion such as a wedding, you should ask for permission well in advance and give full details.
Do not expect the school to agree to shopping trips during school hours.
Take an interest in your child's school work.

Family Holidays during Term Time

Wherever possible, you should take your holidays during school holidays.
You do not have the right for permission to take your child on holiday during term time.
If your child does not return to school at the agreed date, their place at the school could be lost.
Please avoid taking your child on holiday at times when he or she should be taking exams or tests or changing schools.
You should not expect your child's school to agree to a family holiday during term time. The school will carefully consider your request and they may take the timing and duration of the leave and your child's attendance record into account.
Schools will not agree to your child missing more than a total of ten school days in exceptional circumstances in any one school year.

County Council

The County Council is responsible, by law, for making sure that registered pupils of compulsory school age attend their school regularly.
We employ education welfare officers to monitor school attendance and to help parents meet their responsibilities.
Education welfare officers work closely with schools. Some are actually based in schools.
If your child is not attending school regularly, an education welfare officer may visit you.
It is important that you co-operate with the education welfare officer to make sure your child overcomes his or her attendance problems and gets a proper education.
If you do not do everything you can to co-operate with the education welfare officer and the school, we may have no choice but to consider legal action. This could result in parents being issued a fixed penalty notice of up to Ł100, fined up to Ł2,500 for each child who is not going to school and/or a possibilty of imprisonment for up to 3 months.

Conclusion

Poor or non school attendance is a difficult problem sometimes involving complicated issues. There are no easy solutions, but much can be done by ensuring that everyone who is involved works together and co-operates in fulfilling their responsibilities.

Email: Attendance