Attendance/Absence
You must make sure your child gets a full-time education that meets their needs (eg if they have special educational needs). You can send your child to school or educate them yourself.
Children must get an education between the school term after their 5th birthday and the last Friday in June in the school year they turn 16.
You must then do one of the following until you’re 18:
- stay in full-time education, eg at a college
- start an apprenticeship or traineeship
- work or volunteer (for 20 hours or more a week) while in part-time education or training
You’ll be contacted by either:
- the school - if your child is enrolled in school and doesn’t turn up (even if they’re only absent for a day)
- the council’s education welfare officer - if they think your child isn’t getting a suitable education at home
You can be prosecuted if you don’t give your child an education. You’ll normally get warnings and offers of help from the local council first.
You can get education and attendance information from your council.
When your child can miss school
You can only allow your child to miss school if either:
- they’re too ill to go in
- you’ve got advance permission from the school
There’s extra support available if your child can’t go to school for long periods because of a health problem.
Holidays in term time
You have to get permission from the head teacher if you want to take your child out of school during term time.
You can only do this if:
- you make an application to the head teacher in advance (as a parent the child normally lives with)
- there are exceptional circumstances
It’s up to the head teacher how many days your child can be away from school if leave is granted.
You can be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time without the school’s permission.
Unauthorised holiday requests of 5 or more continuous days will be referred to the Local Authority Educational Inclusion and Partnership Team who may decide to issue a Penalty Notice incurring a fine. Please refer to the Penalty Notices information below.
Absences from 19 August 2024
An initial fixed penalty notice of £80 is issued to each parent for each child.
| When you pay | Amount to pay |
|---|---|
| Payment within 21 days | £80 |
| Payment within 22 days and 28 days | £160 |
If a second penalty notice is issued within 3 years of the first, the second notice is charged at a flat rate of £160 if paid within 28 days.
School trips
Your child’s school can ask you for a voluntary contribution to the cost of activities like school trips. They can’t stop your child from attending if you don’t pay, but they should cancel the activity if there isn’t enough money to cover the cost of it.