Truancy and Attendance

Local education authorities ( LEA s) are legally responsible for making sure that parents of children aged between five and 16 provide their children with an education either at home or at school.

If your child is registered with a school but is not regularly attending, an Education Welfare Officer may come to visit you. If you do not co-operate with the Education Welfare Officer and school, the LEA may impose an Education Supervision Order through a court. This order appoints a supervisor to help and give advice to you and your child.

Repeated truancy can result in fines and possibly even time in prison for parents. Prosecution can result in a fine of up to £2,500, a jail sentence of up to three months or a community sentence.

Education Welfare Officers, police officers and headteachers can issue penalty notices to parents of up to £100. If you do not pay a penalty fine, you could be prosecuted.

More information on school attendance can be found at the Dfes Website (external link)

What you can do

You can help to prevent your child from skipping school by:

• making sure your child understands the importance of good attendance and getting to school on time
• taking an interest in your child's education ask about school work and encourage involvement in school activities
• listening to your child when they tell you about problems at school and informing their teacher or headteacher about serious problems

If your child starts missing school against your wishes, first talk to their teacher or form tutor. They might be able to advise you about problems that your child may be having at school. You can also talk to the Education Welfare Officer at your LEA .

For more information visit the Cheshire County Council education website (external link)