School attendance

Regular school attendance - why it is so important

Going to school regularly is important to your child's future. For example, children who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams. This could affect their ability to get a good job or go into further education or whatever it is they want to do as an adult

More information on parent and carers legal duties in regards to school attendance can be found on our School attendance and the law page

You can help your child attend regularly by:

• making sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality
• taking an interest in their education - ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities
• discussing any problems they may have at school - inform their teacher or whoever is in charge of attendance at the schools about anything serious
• not letting them take time off school for minor ailments - particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work
• arranging appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays will help to prevent disruption to your child's education and to the school.

What does authorised and unauthorised absence mean?

You should not expect the school to agree to your child having a leave of absence, (i.e. holiday), during term time. Parents do not have an automatic right to a leave of absence during term time and permission will only be given in exceptional circumstances.

Help! My child is not attending school regularly

If you are concerned about your child's school attendance it is always best to talk to the school first. If you feel unable to do this or would like further help then please contact Croydon Education Welfare Service.

What will happen if my child misses school?

Croydon operates a staged intervention approach to poor attendance, with the expectation that schools/academies will always talk to parents/carers when the attendance of a child starts to cause concern.  If a child’s attendance continues to be poor, there are no justifiable reasons why your child is not attending regularly, and/or you do not talk to the school about your child’s absence, then you may be breaking the law and the school will notify the Council so that they can either issue a Penalty Notice or start an investigation into why your child is not attending school. 

More information on this can be found on the School attendance and the law page.