Attendance and Truancy

Regular school attendance is an important part of giving your child the best possible start in life. Children who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work, do less well in exams and are more likely to be involved in anti-social behaviour or crime.

Your legal responsibility

By law, children of compulsory school age five to 16 must receive a suitable full-time education. You are legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly. If they do not, you will be contacted by your child’s school or the local authority, who have the legal power to issue penalties.

Helping your child attend school

There’s a lot you can do to help your child

• Make sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality
• Take an interest in their education by asking about school work and encouraging them
• Discuss any problems they may have, informing the school about anything serious
• Don't let them take time off school for minor ailments
• Arrange appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays

  

Under normal circumstances, you should not expect the school to agree to your child going on holiday during term-time. Birthdays, shopping trips, looking after brothers and sisters, waiting in for a delivery, outings, visits to relatives and lack of school uniform are not acceptable reasons for missing school.

If you child has attendance problems the school should try to agree a plan with you to improve your child’s attendance. If you don’t follow the plan and things don’t improve, the school will take further action.

For tips of on how to boost your child's school attendance view the Every Lesson Counts! campaign on the Directgov website.

Sickness absence

If your child is too ill to attend school you are expected to telephone the school at the beginning of the day to tell them what is wrong. If you do not contact the school it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence.

Truancy

When a pupil fails to attend school without their parent's knowledge, or leaves the school after registration and without permission, they are truanting. This will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. If you think your child might be truanting from school, contact their class teacher, head of year or the headteacher. They can work with you and your child to find out why they are not attending.

If necessary, they can involve our welfare and attendance team to help resolve the situation.
Parents whose children fail to attend school and who refuse to cooperate with the school or the education welfare and attendance service face prosecution. This could lead to an appearance in the magistrates’ court, a criminal record and a fine of up to £2,500 or up to three months in prison.

Contact

Education welfare and attendance
Tel: 020 7525 2714
csewasdutydesk@southwark.gov.uk  
Children’s services
John Smith House
144-152 Walworth Road
London
SE17 1JL
Opening hours: Monday to Friday, 1pm to 4.30pm