Attendance guidance
The guidance from the Department for Education (DfE) – Gov.UK: Working together to improve school attendance is statutory, and schools, trusts, governing bodies, and local authorities must have regard to it as part of their efforts to maintain high levels of school attendance.
This guidance should be read alongside the statutory guidance documents on children missing education, supporting pupils with medical conditions at school, education for children with health needs who cannot attend school, suspensions and exclusions, The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024, alternative provision, Keeping Children Safe in Education and Working together to safeguard children.
Where this guidance refers to a parent, the school and/or local authority will need to decide which adult is most appropriate to work with. Generally, parents include:
- all natural parents, whether they are married or not.
- all those who have parental responsibility for a child or young person.
- those who have day to day responsibility for the child (i.e. lives with and looks after the child).
Please click on this link for a summary of statutory expectations for schools in relation to school attendance - Summary table of responsibilities for school attendance (applies from 19 August 2024) (publishing.service.gov.uk)
The DfE expect all schools to have a clear, published Attendance Policy which has been reviewed and is compliant with DfE Guidance. Please see document below for support with this.
The DfE expect all schools to have a clear, published Attendance Policy which has been reviewed and is compliant with DfE Guidance. Please see document below for support with this.
Gov.UK: Children missing education
Gov. UK: Alternative provision
Gov.UK: Education for children with health needs who cannot attend school
Gov.UK: Keeping children safe in education
Mental Health Issues affecting school attendance
Following DfE Guidance – Mental Health Issues affecting a pupil’s school attendance – dated February 2023, the Statutory Attendance & Participation Team has developed an information sheet to help schools and professionals understand how to interpret and approach practice, when required, to support a pupil who may have mental health which is impacting on their school attendance.
Gov.UK: Mental heath issues affecting a pupils attendance guidance for schools