All children of compulsory school age must receive a suitable full-time education.

Parents:

• Must make sure their child is regularly attending school or 'otherwise' receiving suitable, full-time education
• Are guilty of an offence if their child doesn't regularly attend school (if they're registered at that school)

This is set out in sections 7 and 444(1) of the Education Act (1996).

The DfE reiterates that responsibility for ensuring attendance lies with parents, which includes caregivers or anyone with parental responsibility, in its school attendance parental responsibility measures guidance (page 5).

Persistent and severe absence: what they mean

Persistent absence	Severe absence
A pupil misses 10% or more of school – equal to 1 day or more every 2 weeks	A pupil misses more than 50% of school
We will: Work together with the LA to put targeted support in place and remove barriers to attendance and re-engage the pupil Sensitively consider some of the reasons for absence	We will: Work with all relevant partners to make these pupils a top priority for support  Consider any potential safeguarding issues involved

This is set out in the DfE's attendance guidance (page 45). 

Schools and LAs can take legal action if a child has poor attendance or repeated unauthorised absence. Options include:

• School attendance orders (requiring parents/carers to register their child at a named school)
• Parenting contracts (a formal, signed agreement with parents/carers setting out specific requirements)
• Parenting orders (imposed for serious misconduct following prosecution for irregular attendance)
• Penalty notices (fines imposed on parents/carers for failing to make sure their child attends school)
• Prosecution by the LA

Read more about tackling unauthorised absence in our other article.

These are explained on pages 17 and 18 of the attendance guidance.

I can grant a leave of absence to a pupil during term time if the request involves:

• Taking part in a regulated performance, or regulated employment abroad
• Attending an interview
• Study leave
• A temporary, time-limited part-time timetable
• Exceptional circumstances (this is at my discretion, as the headteacher, but a family holiday is generally not considered an exceptional circumstance)

You can also approve an authorised absence at my discretion, taking into account the specific facts, circumstances and relevant background context. It's also legal for parents/carers to keep their child off school for reasons which include (but are not limited to):

• Illness (including mental-health illness) and medical/dental appointments 
• Religious observance
• Parent(s) travelling for occupational purposes 
• If the pupil is currently suspended or excluded from school (and no alternative provision has been made)

Find out more about pupil term-time absence, including how schools and LAs have defined 'exceptional circumstances'.