School Attendance
Education welfare officers and the legal consequences of a
child failing to attend school.
Why is attendance at school and punctuality important?
Because Every Second Counts:
- 5 minutes late each day means three whole days lost each
year
- 17 days missed from school each year equates to a whole GCSE
grade
- Attendance affects learning, future earning, wellbeing and a
sense of belonging
Who can contact the Education Welfare Officer for support and
Advice about attendance?
- Child or young person
- Schools
- Parents
- Partner Agencies, e.g. Police and School Health ]
- General Public
(The definition of “parent”, in relation to a child or young
person, includes any person who is not a parent of the child but
who has parental responsibility for him/her, or who has care of the
child.)
What do we do for parents?
- Help parents to understand their rights and legal
responsibilities.
- Assist parents with problems concerning attendance.
- Support and develop links between school and home.
- Provide a link to other education services and agencies.
- Signpost to support after assessing what is needed
- Support as part of the Common Assessment Framework (CAF)
A series of Guides are available for parents, schools and other
agencies around school attendance
What does the law say about attendance at school?
The law requires all children between the ages of 5 and 16 to be
in full time education. Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996
it is the duty of the parent/carer of a child of compulsory school
age to ensure that they attend school regularly.
- Education
Supervision Order Children’s Act 1989: The local authority can
apply to the courts where attendance remains poor. A named
education supervisor would be appointed to work with the family for
up to 12 months to ensure that the young person receives full time
education.
-
School Attendance Order Education Act 1996: If this is issued;
parents would be directed to register their child at a school named
by the local authority.
- Fixed Penalty Notice: A warning letter can be issued when a
pupil has had 10 or more unauthorised absences from school. The
warning letter gives parents a period of 15 school days of
monitoring. If at the end of this period there has not been an
improvement or an improvement has been made but not sustained, a
Fixed Penalty Notice will be issued. Each parent/carer would have
to pay £50.00 per child. If this is not paid within 28 days, the
payment increases to £100.00 per child per parent. Payments will
not be accepted after 42 days. If parents do not pay the Local
Authority will prosecute in the Magistrates’ Court. If convicted
the parent will have a criminal record and may receive a fine of up
to £1000.
Contacting your Education Welfare Officer
Each school has a link Education Welfare Officer who can be
contacted through school. You can also telephone their main office
number:
- For Crewe, Sandbach, Nantwich, Middlewich, Alsager call 01270
375277
- For Macclesfield, Wilmslow, Knutsford, Congleton, Poynton,
Holmes Chapel call 01625 374782.
External links
