Parents' Responsibility
We want all children at our school to get the most out of their education, and attending school regularly is an important part of your child's education.
Having a good education will help to give your child the best possible start in life. Poor school attendance damages educational achievement and the future progress of young people. Promoting and supporting good attendance at school is essential to learning and attainment.
What can parents do to help?
Make sure that your child comes to school regularly and arrives on time. It's a good idea to start these positive habits at an early age, when your child first starts school.
- If your child is ill, contact the school on the first day of your child's illness. We will be concerned if we do not hear anything.
- If your child is ever off school, you must tell us why. You can do this by contacting the school office.
- If you want permission for your child to miss school, for example because of a special occasion such as a wedding, you should ask for permission well in advance and give full details.
- We will not authorise time off school for events such as shopping trips or holidays.
- Take an interest in your child's school work.
What happens if your child does not attend school?
By law, all children of compulsory school age must be provided with a suitable full-time education. As a parent, you are responsible for making sure this happens, either by registering your child at a school or by making other arrangements which provide an effective education.
If your child is not attending school regularly, our Education Welfare Officer (EWO) may visit you. It is important that you co-operate with the EWO to make sure your child overcomes his or her attendance problems and gets a proper education.
Consequence
If you do not do everything you can to co-operate with the education welfare officer and the school, we may have no choice but to consider legal action. This could result in you being issued a fixed penalty notice of up to £120, fined up to £2,500 for each child who is not going to school and/or a possibility of imprisonment for up to three months.
These consequences are set by the government.
