By law, all children of compulsory school age (5-16 years) must receive a full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude.
Parents are required by law to make sure their children attend school regularly. For further information see the Education Act (1996) Section 444.
If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s attendance, in the first instance please contact your child’s school.
Children’s Services attendance team deal with issues concerning pupils who are not attending school regularly.
Every school has access to an Attendance and Entitlement Officer for help and advice on issues concerning pupil specific attendance. They can be contacted via email at csattendance@norfolk.gov.uk or via the attendance duty line on 01603 223681.
You must make sure that your child gets a full-time education between the school term after their 5th birthday and the last Friday in June in the school year that they turn 16. You can send your child to school or educate them yourself.
You will be contacted by your child’s school if your child doesn’t turn up for school, even if they’re only absent for a day.
There may be several reasons your child might refuse to go to school. These can include feelings of:
It can be difficult trying to convince a child or young person to go somewhere that is causing them negative feelings. However, the more time they spend out of school, the stronger these feelings become and the harder it will be for them to return.
When tackling this issue, it is important to try and understand why your child doesn’t want to attend school. Talk to your child about their worries by calmly listening to them acknowledging their fears. If they feel too worried about talking to you in person, ask them to write their concerns down. Ask them what they think the positives are in attending school. Let the school know that there is an issue as soon as possible and work in partnership with the school to address it.
If your child is going to be absent from school, you should contact your child’s school on the first morning of any absence by phone or in person. You should explain the reason for your child’s absence and indicate when you think he or she is likely to return. You should also do this if you child is going to be late.
If you do not notify the school, the school will probably try and contact you. The school may also decide to record your child’s absence as unauthorised.
You can only allow your child to miss school if:
There is extra support available if your child can’t go to school for long periods because of a health problem.
If your child is being bullied, the situation will not be resolved by keeping your child off school. You need to work with the school and speak to your child’s class teacher in the first instance. Some cases of bullying can take a while to resolve, but it’s essential that your child continues to attend school to avoid any further complications e.g. falling behind in their work.
