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Attendance regulations

As a parent/guardian you may be concerned about your children going to school. Some may be thinking of continuing to home educate  for the foreseeable future. 

Attendance  

There are a number of duties around attendance: 

  • parents must ensure their child attends school regularly where the child is a registered pupil, and they are of compulsory school age 

  • schools' have a responsibility to record attendance and follow up absence 

  • local authorities have availability to issue sanctions, including fixed penalty notices in line with our code of conduct (PDF) [155KB]

View the information on Wellbeing support in schools on GOV.UK  for advice on how schools are advised to support pupils with mental health needs. 

View the information on  Supporting pupils with medical conditions at school on GOV.UK for details about how schools should support pupils wit medical conditions. 

Schools should be clear that pupils of compulsory school age must be in school unless a statutory reason applies, for example: 

  • the pupil has been granted a leave of absence 

  • is unable to attend because of sickness  

  • is absent for a necessary religious observance 

Non attendance

If schools have tried to encourage regular school attendance, for example, by: 

then they may consider referring the matter to us for legal action to be taken.  
  
We will investigate the circumstances by gathering information from school, parents and other agencies. We'll make every effort to resolve any issues before giving consideration to possible legal action.