Attending School
Attending School
School Attendance
Parental Responsibility
All children benefit from attending school regularly. As well as educating children, schools provide opportunities for making friends and learning how to get on with people. Children are also encouraged to develop any talents or skills they may have, as well as the essential skills of reading, writing and number. Children who do not attend school miss out on these opportunities.
Parents are legally required to ensure that if their children are enrolled at a school, they attend school regularly, and stay in school for every lesson after they have registered. If parents have difficulty getting their children to attend school for any reason, the Education Welfare Officer for the school may be able to help.
Who has parental responsibility?
- Both natural parents if they are married. This never ends, even if they divorce or separate and even if the child is taken into local authority care. It only ends on the death of the parent(s) or if the child is legally adopted.
- The child's mother only, if the child's natural parents choose not to marry.
- Other adults may share parental responsibility with the natural parents by order of the Court or by legal agreement.
- The father of a child born since 1st December 2003, whose name is on the child's birth certificate
Attendance At School
Parents not only have a responsibility to make sure that their children attend school regularly, but also that children arrive at school on time, properly dressed, and in a fit state to benefit from the education which is offered to them.
It is helpful if parents see themselves as working in partnership with school in obtaining an education for their children.
They can do this by teaching children to value education, to complete homework on time and to obey the rules of the school.
This should be reinforced through discipline in the home.
The Local Education Authority has a duty to enforce the attendance at school of children of compulsory school age and, if necessary, is empowered to prosecute parents for the poor attendance of their children.
Punctuality
The Department of Education states that all schools should discourage pupils from arriving late.
School opening times are determined by the Governors of the schools, and parents should ensure that their child arrives at school in time to be marked present in the register.
If a child does arrive late, an explanation should be given to the class teacher. If the child arrives very late without good reason, then he/she may not be entitled to be marked present for that session.
It is important that children arrive at school in good time because it can be disruptive for the whole class if a child arrives late. In Primary schools, literacy and numeracy lessons are often held at the beginning of the school day. Regular lateness can mean that these important subjects are missed. It is recognised that on occasions there may be genuine reasons for lateness such as public transport difficulties. If there is a particular reason for a child's lateness, parents should discuss this with the school staff or the Education Welfare Officer, who may be able to assist with any difficulties.
Absence From School
If a child is absent from school, parents must inform school of the reason on the first day the child is absent.
This should be followed by a note giving the reasons for the absence, when the child returns to school.
Children should only be kept away from school for reasons of personal illness, or other personal or exceptional circumstances.
If parents keep a child away from school for other reasons, then action could be taken against them by the Education Department. (For further information on this, view "Prosecution in the Magistrates Court")
It is not reasonable for parents to keep their child off school to go shopping, minding the house, waiting for workmen etc. It should be remembered that if a child is allowed to be absent from school for trivial reasons whilst in primary school, this could become the norm later in their school life.
Parents who are considering taking their child out of school for a holiday during term-time must get permission from school beforehand. It is strongly recommended that family holidays are taken whilst schools are closed. Any absence, for whatever reason, is detrimental to a child's educational progress (For further information, view "Holidays in term-time")