Am I responsible for my child’s school attendance?
Children with a good school attendance record
are setting themselves up for a better future when they leave
school.
Employers want staff that are reliable and
good attendance is a sign that your child can be trusted.
It is in your interest to make sure that your
child has a good school attendance record. If your child misses
school regularly (whether you know about it or not) the Local
Authority may consider taking legal action against you.
Did you know?
Research by the National strategies shows
that missing five days of every term every year is the same as
missing one whole school year.
What the law says
School attendance is also important because
the law requires it. As a parent, you are legally responsible for
making sure your child gets a full-time education. For most people
this means registering the child at school and making sure they
attend.
What could happen if your child misses school? 
The school may remove your child from the
school for leave of absence during term time.
There could be legal and financial
consequences:
- for leave of absence taken without permission of the
Headteacher you may be issued with a penalty notice of £120
(reducing to £60 if paid within 28 days)
- if you fail to pay this you will be in danger of
prosecution
- if prosecuted and convicted you will have a criminal
record
- for more serious offences you can be fined up to £2,500 and in
extreme cases there is a penalty of up to three months
imprisonment.
When is it OK for your child to stay away from
school?
Illness
Follow the school's illness procedures and
advise the school as soon as possible on the first day that your
child is ill. You will be expected to provide medical evidence for
absence of five days or more.
Medical appointments
Try to arrange appointments during
school holidays, at weekends or after school hours. Naturally,
there will be times when this isn't possible but you must try to
give as much advance warning as possible and take the appointment
letter or card into school.
Religious festivals 
Ask your school in advance for time off for
religious reasons. A maximum of three days will be considered
for religious observance only.
When is your child not allowed to stay away from
school?
Holidays
Redbridge Local Authority states, that leave
of absence during term time should not be granted except in the
most exceptional of circumstances.
Persistent lateness
If your child is persistently late the school
can ask the Local Authority to implement a penalty notice to
the parent or carer.
A maximum of seven late attendances
during any one half term could generate a penalty notice being
implemented.
Useful websites
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