Attendance and Punctuality
In order to raise standards in education and ensure all pupils can fulfil their potential, pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school.
| Pupil absence in 2023/2024 |
|||
| School | Local authority | England state-funded schools | |
| Overall absence | 7.5% | 6.4% | 6.3% |
|
Persistent absence |
25.2% |
18.1% |
17.7% |
The Government expects:
Schools and local authorities to:
- promote good attendance and reduce absence, including persistent absence;
- ensure every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled;
- act early to address patterns of absence.
- parents to perform their legal duty by ensuring their children of compulsory school age who are registered at school attend regularly.
- all pupils to be punctual to their lessons.
Parents are not entitled to take their child on holiday during term time. Any application for leave must only be in exceptional circumstances and the headteacher must be satisfied that the circumstances are exceptional and warrant the granting of leave. Headteachers would not be expected to class any term time holiday as exceptional.
Parents can be fined by the local authority for taking their child on holiday during term time without the consent of the school.
Further information from the DfE can be found here.
The School's guidance on attendance and punctuality can be found here.
For further information for parents click here.
