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Penalty notices for absence from school
can be issued in Kent from April 2005. Following consultation on a
Code of Conduct, it was agreed that Notices would be issued by the
Attendance and Behaviour Service based on requests from schools and
the police.
The link below opens in a new window:
KCC Code of Conduct for Penalty Notices
If you are a parent of (or someone who is responsible for) a
child aged between five and 16, you are legally responsible for
making sure that your child attends school regularly.
Ensuring regular and punctual attendance
will
- give your child the best possible start in life
- help your child make the most of educational opportunities
- instil your child with good time keeping habits
- prepare your child for the world of work
Do everything possible to help your child attend school and
support their learning. Shopping trips, waiting in for a delivery,
outings, visits to relatives and lack of school uniform are not
acceptable reasons for missing school.
Illness
If your child is too ill to attend school, this will be treated
as an authorised absence. The school will expect you to telephone
them at the beginning of the day to tell them what is wrong with
your child. If you do not, the school may contact you. If you do
not contact the school, or the headteacher is not satisfied that
the absence could not be avoided, it may be recorded as
unauthorised absence.
Family holidays
A headteacher can grant up to two weeks absence in any school
year for a family holiday, but only if this is unavoidable and the
absence from school will not harm your child's education. Always
speak with the school before booking a term time holiday.
Exceptional family circumstances (e.g. Bereavement)
The headteacher will accept a child's absence if there are
exceptional family circumstances such as a bereavement but may not
generally authorise absence for birthdays or looking after brothers
and sisters.
Lateness
It is important that children arrive at school on time. This
encourages habits of good time keeping and lessens any possible
classroom disruption. If your child arrives after the register has
closed without a good reason, this may be recorded as
'unauthorised' absence.
Truancy
When a pupil fails to attend school without their parent's
knowledge, or leaves the school after registration and without
permission, they are truanting. This will be recorded as an
'unauthorised' absence.
If you think your child might be truanting from school, contact
their class teacher, head of year or the headteacher. They can work
with you and your child to find out why they are not attending. If
necessary, they can involve our welfare and attendance team to help
resolve the situation.
Find out more about how KCC deals with
truancy |