Additional information (frequently asked questions)
If your child is struggling to attend because of an issue in school
The first step is to talk to your child’s school about why your child is missing school, and what help the school can give. You should still do everything you can to help your child attend as much as possible whilst waiting for help and support to be put into place. Information on who in school you can contact for help, including the school’s senior leader responsible for attendance, can be found in the school’s attendance policy on its website or available in hard copy from the school. The school and Warwickshire County Council are required to follow the expectations set out in the guidance document Working together to improve school attendance (GOV.UK).
If your child is struggling to attend because of something that is happening at school, their school is expected to work with you (and your child if they are old enough) to overcome the issues. You should agree a set of joint actions with the school that you have all developed together to support your child. This will often include a commitment to support you and your child by working together or help you to access support services in exchange for an agreement from you (and your child if they are old enough to understand) to take part in the support offered. The school should also arrange mutually convenient times for you to come together to review these actions and your child’s progress.
Depending on the reasons for your child’s absence, this may take the form of an action plan, an early help plan, or a parenting contract.
If your child is struggling to attend because of an issue at home or getting to school
Talking to the school should be your first step, they are required to help you access the support you need – such as from Early Help, a school nurse or Education Services.
The Warwickshire Attendance Service will work with the school and provide advice, guidance and support to access to the support you need if the issues you or your child are facing are beyond the school’s ability to support.
Accessing support for children with long term illness or special educational needs and disabilities
Help if your child has a long-term illness, special educational needs or a disability that is impacting their attendance
If your child is regularly absent from school because of illness (regardless of whether it is mental or physical) or special educational needs or a disability, they have the same right to a suitable full-time education as any other child. You should work with your child’s school to discuss the reasons and make sure the right support is in place.
All schools are expected to provide support in these cases. More information can be found in your child’s school’s policy on supporting pupils with medical conditions.
Schools are expected to:
- Work with you to make reasonable adjustments to help your child attend. These could include adjustments to uniform, transport, routines, access to support or lunchtime arrangements.
- Ensure your child receives the right pastoral care and in certain cases consider a time-limited phased return to school where appropriate, for example for those who have anxiety about school attendance.
- Work jointly with other services including your local council and health services.
- For pupils with a long-term medical condition – either physical or mental – schools are also expected to make attendance support a key feature of any individual healthcare plan.
- For pupils with Education, Health and Care plans - ensure access to any provision outlined within the plan.
To make this effective, it is important that you are open and work with your child’s school by sharing written information regarding your child’s needs. This will help agree the right support and take an active part in agreeing and putting in place the solution.
If your child has an Education, Health and Care plan, and is out of school for more than 15 days, we expect the school to inform SENDAR who are responsible for your child's plan. This is to ensure that they are aware of the situation and to seek their support for your child where necessary.
Help if your child is too anxious to go to school
Attending school usually helps to protect your child’s mental health, for a range of reasons including giving them a chance to be with friends and to benefit from learning. However, some children can be anxious or worried about going to school, particularly around the start of the new year or joining a new school or class. This is a normal emotion, and not necessarily indicative of an underlying mental health condition.
If their anxiety continues and becomes an attendance issue, you should speak to your child's school together with your child about why they are anxious and what can be done.
The Family Information Service can also provide you with information and access to support.
Can my child’s school force me to remove my child from school and home educate?
Elective Home Education should always be a positive choice taken by parents without pressure from their school.
If your school has asked or is putting pressure on you to remove your child from school to home educate, this is known as off-rolling. Off-rolling is the practice of removing a pupil from the school roll without using a permanent exclusion, when the removal is primarily in the best interests of the school, rather than the best interests of the pupil. This includes pressuring a parent to remove their child from the school. While it may not always be unlawful, Ofsted and the Department for Education believe that off-rolling is never acceptable.
More information can be found on the home education pages.
Formal and legal action where voluntary support hasn’t worked or isn’t taken up
If your child is absent from school without permission or a valid reason, you are likely to be breaking the law.
If your child hasn’t attended because they are struggling to, both your child’s school and Warwickshire County Council will work with you to put the right support in place to help you.
If you do not take part in that support, or it doesn’t work because more structured formal support is needed, then your child’s school or Warwickshire County Council may:
- Invite you to agree to a attendance contract. This is not a punishment or a criticism of your parenting. It is a more formal action plan that sets out what you will do to improve your child’s attendance and what your child’s school and/or your local council will do to support this.
- Apply to the family court for an education supervision order to ensure you and your child receive advice, assistance and direction to make sure they receive a suitable full-time education.
If you do not make any effort to improve your child’s attendance or it is clear you have knowingly allowed your child to be absent without good reason your local council may prosecute you to protect your child’s right to a full-time education. Even during this process, you have the opportunity to accept and engage in voluntary support (such as an early help assessment) or formal support (such as a parenting contract or education supervision order) to prevent the case from going to court. If found guilty you may be given a parenting order, community order, a fine of up to £2,500 or in very exceptional circumstances a sentence of up to 3 months in prison.
Warwickshire County Council’s FPN Code of Conduct can be found online.