School Attendance
Regular school attendance - why it's so important
Going to school regularly is important to your child’s future. For example, children who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams.
Good attendance shows potential employers that your child is reliable. Research suggests that children who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of getting involved in antisocial behaviour or crime.
School attendance and absence: the law
By law, all children of compulsory school age (5 to 16) must receive a suitable full-time education. For most parents, this means registering their child at a school - though some choose to make other arrangements to provide a suitable, full-time education.
Once your child is registered at a school, you are legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly. If your child fails to do so, you risk getting a penalty notice or being prosecuted.
Preventing your child from missing school: what you can do
You can help prevent your child skipping school by:
- making sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality
- taking an interest in their education - ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities
- discussing any problems they may have at school - inform their teacher or head teacher about anything serious
- not letting them take time off school for minor ailments - particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work
Arranging appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays will help to prevent disruption to your child’s education and to the school. Under normal circumstances, you should not expect the school to agree to your child going on holiday during term time.
The Education Welfare Service
Our responsibilities
The Education Welfare Service has a legal responsibility to monitor school attendance and consider court action against parents whose children do not attend school regularly.
We also have responsibilities to do with:
- Protecting children from abuse and danger.
- Protecting children in employment.
- Licensing children in entertainment, modeling and sport.
Your responsibilities
Your responsibility is to make sure that your child receives an effective education. You can do this by registering your child at a school and making sure they attend regularly.
You are allowed to make other arrangements for your child's education but these must be approved by the Local Education Authority.
How we work
You can refer yourself and your child to us if you are having difficulty in making sure your child attends school regularly. Schools refer children and their families to us when they are concerned about their attendance.
Other agencies such as health, social services and the police can also refer families to us.
Education Welfare Officers check school attendance registers regularly. They will usually discuss your child's circumstances with the Head teacher or a Senior Teacher if your child's attendance is not satisfactory.
What can be expected of us
We will:
- Listen and work in an open, honest and respectful way with parents
- Work to support children's school attendance
- Support parents if they wish to visit their child's school to sort out any difficulties
- Include parents as much as possible in discussions and decisions about their child's education
- Share information with schools and other professionals if we believe it is in the child's best interest, unless we are specifically asked by the parent not to do so. Child protection concerns will always be shared
- Keep a written record of our contact with parents. What we write down will be factually correct and relevant. Parents have a right to see the records.
When other professionals contact us about your child, we will assume that they have told you that they are doing so. If your child is absent from school through illness and we need to contact your doctor for an explanation, we will ask you to sign a consent form before we contact the doctor.
We need to keep a written record of our contact with you. What we write down will be factually correct and relevant. You have the right to ask to see your records. Please be aware that, if we have to take legal action against you, what you say to us may be used in court proceedings.
What we will expect from you
We will expect you:
- To work with us to improve your child's attendance.
- To tell us what is concerning you, what you think is wrong and what you think might help to solve the problem
- To tell us if you are not happy with what is happening or if you do not understand it, so we can try to answer your questions or concerns.