Regular attendance at school is important for a child's:

potential grades - if a child is not in school regularly, they will not get the full benefit of the learning available to them
self-esteem and future prospects
sense of belonging and community, as well as their development of social skills
understanding of society's expectations and how to communicate with people in authority
preparation for adult life
confidence and resilience through positive separation from parents and carers

Attendance should be very high

Although an attendance of 90% sounds high, this is equal to half a day absence per week, 4 weeks of absence in the academic year and a full year of missed education throughout their time at school.

Legal responsibility of parents and schools

Parents are responsible for making sure that children between 5 and 16 years old have access to appropriate education.

Our duty is to make sure that parents are meeting this responsibility. We have the power to intervene if parents do not meet this responsibility. This may include legal action.

Absence during term time

Following amendments to the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 that came into effect 1 September 2013, schools are only allowed to grant leave of absence from school in exceptional circumstances.

You will need to write to the school and explain why the circumstances are exceptional, and why the absence can't be taking during the normal 13 weeks of holiday that your child has each year.

Schools do not have any obligation to give you the leave of absence. If you take your child out of school without permission, it will be counted as unauthorised. The school may then ask us to issue you a Fixed Penalty Notice.

You can view or download our school attendance code of conduct below.

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