Attendance

What is an unauthorised absence?

Any absence that is either not explained by parent or is not agreed by the school will be counted as unauthorised. Persistent or severe levels of unauthorised absence will be referred to the Attendance and Children Missing Education Team, who will make contact will the family to find out why absence is high and will offer support to help with any issues that are preventing full attendance.

However, if absence and/ or lateness persists, Attendance and Children Missing Education Team has the responsibility to enforce attendance through legal interventions (Penalty Notices and/or Prosecutions) which may result in a fine, or in extreme cases, imprisonment.

Sometimes my child arrives at school late.

Being on time for school is very important. Many schools concentrate on the key skills such as numeracy and literacy at the being of the day. Children who are late can miss important learning.

Being punctual is a legal requirement for the school pupil and schools will monitor lateness carefully.

If your child arrives late at school, a parental explanation is recorded. Persistent, severe or unexplained lateness can be classed as unauthorised absence and may be referred to the Local Authority.

What if my child is ill?

If your child is too unwell to attend school, you should contact the school office as early as possible on the first day of absence.

The school or school nurse can supply you with a list of the illnesses that require time off from school and the approximate length of time your child is likely to need off. Once your child has recovered, it is important that your child returns to school as soon as possible to ensure that they do not miss too much teaching.

If your child has a chronic, persistent or recurrent health issue, the head teacher can arrange for an interview with the school nurse to discuss the impact of this on his/her education and what additional support can be offered to help keep up. You may be asked to supply medical evidence for any future absences.

What if my child has a medical / dental appointment in school time?

Schools prefer that parents make all but emergency appointments for medical and dental check-ups outside of the school day. If this is not possible, please give the school as much notice as possible. If your child must attend a series of appointments, please ensure, where possible, that school are aware of these appointments and that the appointments vary so that the same lesson is not always missed.

My family religion means my child needs to miss some days at school.

Parents may take leave of absence for days of religious observance related to the family religion. Please notify the school when your child starts at the school and give the school as much notice as possible. School will take advice from local religious leaders as to the appropriate number of days to allow as authorised absence for each festival.

When is a Penalty Notice issued?

A penalty notice can be issued to parents or carers if the children in their care are absent from school for any of the following reasons: 

• when a child has taken a period of leave of absence during term time where the school has not given permission.
• A Leave of Absence has been taken which is exempt from a Penalty Notice (i.e. less than 5 consecutive days) but further unauthorised absences has occurred during a 10 week period, a 20-school day Notice to Improve letter  or a Penalty Notice.

To a parent or carer whose child is of compulsory school age and has been issued with a 20-day Notice to Improve letter and the child has had further unauthorised absences.

Can I take my child out for a family holiday while in term time?

No. Parents and carers have a legal duty to ensure that their children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education. It is also vital that they encourage their child's regular and punctual attendance at school. If a child is registered at a school, then it is vital that they attend on a regular basis.

Headteachers cannot and will not authorise school absences for the reason of a family holiday. If you feel you have an exceptional circumstance for the absence, you must speak to the headteacher prior to making any arrangements. The parent/carer must apply in writing to the headteacher. It must explain the exceptional circumstance surrounding the request for the leave of absence.

You will receive a response from the headteacher letting you know if your application has been approved or declined. If the holiday goes ahead after the application has been declined the absence will be recorded as unauthorised and a penalty notice may be issued.

Who can authorise the absence?

Only headteachers can authorise the absence.

I haven’t had notification from the school to inform me that the leave of absence has not been authorised. What should I do?

You will need to discuss this with the school. Please note that we cannot process Penalty Notices until we receive information from the school to show that parents/carers have been made aware that the leave has not been authorised. (This would be in the form of a letter from the school to the parent).

What is the Penalty Notice charge?

From August 2024, Penalty Notices will be issued by post to your home address. The Penalty Notice is:

• £80 if paid within 21 days (per parent, per child)
• £160 if paid in full after the 21 days but within 28 days. (per parent, per child)

This rate is in line with inflation and is the first increase since 2012.

• In the case of repeated fines, if a parent receives a second fine for the same child within any three-year period, this will be charged at the higher rate
• £160 within 28 days (per parent, per child)

Fines per parent will be capped to two fines within any three-year period. Once this limit has been reached, other action like a Parenting Order or Prosecution will be considered.

When will I receive the penalty notice?

You will receive the penalty notice in a letter format from Coventry City Council once the child has returned to school following the unauthorised leave of absence. School will inform the council of the leave and submit relevant documentation for the penalty notice to be issued. On the penalty notice you will find the date of when the penalty requires to be paid.

How do I make the penalty notice payment?

Details on how to make payment are on the back of the penalty notice.

By Telephone

Please telephone the Attendance and Children Missing Education Team on 024 7697 5434 with your debit or credit card.

Please note, we do not accept American Express Cards.

Payment opening times for the Service:

• Monday to Thursday 9am - 4.30pm
• Friday 9am - 4pm

In person or by cash

You can pay by card, cash or cheque at our Customer Service Centre, Broadgate, Coventry, CV1 1FS.

Monday to Friday 9am ‑ 5pm (excluding Bank Holidays).

You will need your ID (at the top of this letter). There are two payment machines in the shop entrance to our Customer Service Centre and one payment machine on the first floor.

Online

You can pay online at any time. Select Other payments, then select Schools, libraries and learning. Then select Fines ‑ school fines.

You will need your child’s name, your ID (at the top of the letter) and your debit or credit card. Please note we do not accept American Express Cards.

Is there an appeal process?

There is no statutory right of appeal once a Notice has been issued. The Local Authority is acting on behalf of schools and will not withdraw Penalty Notices, unless there has been a breach of The Code of Practice.

School Attendance Order (SAO)

A Local Authority (LA) must issue a School Attendance Order if it is not satisfied that any parent/carer is providing a suitable education to their child. Many parents are worried when a LA talks about a School Attendance Order as they are not familiar with the facts. Some of the most commonly asked questions are answered below.

Is the School Attendance Order I have received legal?

If the LA is not satisfied that you are providing an efficient, full-time and suitable education to your child, they must give you a reasonable opportunity to produce information which does satisfy them. The nature of this information and how it is presented to the LA is a matter for you to decide however guidance is available should you require it. The information provided must be enough that it would satisfy a 'reasonable person’. You are given 15 school days to provide this information.

If after the 15 school days have passed, you have failed to satisfy the LA that your arrangements for your child’s education are suitable, you must be given a further 15 days’ notice that the LA intends to serve a SAO.

The LA must tell you which school they intend to name in the SAO.

Why have they issued me with a School Attendance Order?

A LA must serve a SAO on the parent of a child of compulsory school age who fails to prove the child is receiving suitable education, and where the authority believes the child should attend school.

Why would they believe I am not providing a suitable education?

This could be because:

• You have not provided any evidence; or
• The evidence you have provided is insufficient to allow the LA to believe you are providing a suitable education.

What happens if I ignore the SAO as I believe that I am providing a suitable education?

You should not ignore it. If you ignore a SAO, this could result in legal proceedings and a magistrate may impose a fine of up to £1,000.

What should I do about the SAO?

It is advisable to contact the named officer on the SAO paperwork without delay for advice on how to prove your child is in receipt of suitable education.

What sort of evidence should I provide?

If your child is on a school roll, then this information needs to be provided in order that it can be verified. The local authority will not necessarily know if your child is attending an independent school or a school in another local authority area.

Can the LA revoke or amend the SAO?

A SAO remains in force as long as the child is of compulsory school age unless:

• It is revoked by the LA (this could be because the LA is satisfied, or it could be at the order of the court); or
• An Education Supervision Order (ESO) is put in place (it is possible that the SAO and the ESO could both exist at the same time); or
• Another school is named and the Order is amended and reissued.

My question has not been answered who can I contact?

You can call the Attendance and Children Missing Education Team on 024 7691 5434 (option 1) or you can email; attendance@coventry.gov.uk