How parents can support their child
How can you support your child have good attendance?
- Get into good routine: Start the year right and make attendance a priority
- Show an interest in school and education; attend parents meetings and other school events
- Talk about school at home; ask your child what they’re learning
- Don’t let your child take time off school for minor ailments
- Where possible, make appointments outside of school hours
- Encourage your child to tell you about any problems they may have going on at school.
- Contact the school straight away
- Acknowledge and praise rewards for good and improved attendance
Research shows that there is a clear link between good attendance and attainment. Pupils with good attendance tend to gain better results in examinations. Students with good attendance are more than twice as likely to pass their English and Maths GCSE compared to those who are persistently absent.
When can my child be absent from school?
When you register your child at school, you have a legal duty to ensure your child attends that school regularly.
This means that your child must attend every day that the school is open, unless:
Your child is too ill to attend that day
You have asked in advance and been given permission by the school for your child to be absent on that day due to exceptional circumstances.
Your child cannot attend school on that day because it is a day you are taking part in religious observance
Your local authority is responsible for arranging your child’s transport to school and it is not available on that day or has not been provided yet; or
You are a gypsy/traveller family with no fixed abode, and you are required to travel for work that day meaning your child cannot attend their usual school. In most circumstances, however, your child is required to attend another school temporarily during such absences.
These are the only circumstances where schools can permit your child to be absent
What do I need to do if my child needs to be absent from school for one of those reasons?
You should contact their school as early as possible to explain why. If not, your child’s school will contact you on the first morning of their absence to find out why.
All parents can request a ‘leave of absence’ for their child which gives them permission to be absent from school. Leaves of absence must be applied for before your child will be absent and will only be granted in exceptional circumstances.
Your child’s headteacher has the final say over whether to approve the request and how long your child can be absent.
Their decision will be made after considering the specific facts and circumstances behind your request.
Can I take my child on holiday during term time?
Parents should plan their holidays around school breaks and avoid requesting leaves of absence for holidays unless it is unavoidable.
As leave of absence is only granted in exceptional circumstances, it is unlikely that your child’s headteacher will agree a leave of absence for a family holiday.
If permission is refused and you keep your child off school on the days requested, you are likely to be committing an offence and be issued a fixed penalty notice or be prosecuted by your local authority.
Where can I get support to help my child attend school?
Children may struggle to attend school for a wide range of reasons.
If your child is struggling to attend school, both their school and your local authority also have responsibilities to help you to support your child’s attendance.
In most cases, if your child’s attendance level is falling, their school will contact you to explore the reasons and discuss what help can be put in place to help you overcome the barriers they are facing.
If your child is struggling to attend school, you can expect the school to meet with you and your child if they are old enough. The school will want to understand the reasons for their absence and what support you or they need to overcome the barriers to attendance they are experiencing.
If the barriers to your child’s attendance are in school – such as they are having friendship problems – the school is responsible for working with you to help overcome the issues.
Information on who in school you can contact for help, including the school’s senior leader responsible for attendance, can be found in the school’s attendance policy on its website or available in hard copy from the school itself.
As part of the conversation you have with your child’s school you will agree a set of joint actions you will all take to help overcome any barriers to attendance.
This agreement will often include a commitment to refer or help you to access support services in exchange for an agreement from you to engage and take part in the support offered. They will also arrange mutual convenient times for you to come together to review these and your child’s progress.
This agreement may take the form of an informal action plan, an early help plan, or a parenting contract – depending on the complexity of the reasons for your child’s absence.
