School attendance

Unauthorised absence is when:

• Your child is absent or late for school without a good reason. Find out when your child can miss school.
• There is a good reason for your child missing school, but you don't tell the school that your child is going to be absent or late

If your child is regularly missing school without authorisation, the school will work with you to improve their attendance.

Every school has access to an Attendance and Entitlement Officer. They can give you help and advice about your child's school attendance. You can contact them by:

• Email: csattendance@norfolk.gov.uk
• Phone: 01603 223681

Legal action to enforce school attendance

The school's headteacher may decide to take legal action if:

• Your child is regularly missing school without authorisation
• You take your child out of school without getting the headteacher's authorisation in advance

This means you could get a fine or be prosecuted under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996 and Section 23 of the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003.

When making their decision, the headteacher will consider whether there are exceptional reasons for your child's absence from school.

They may decide to take legal action even if this is your child's first unauthorised absence.

If the headteacher decides to take legal action, they will refer your case to the Council's attendance team. They can:

• Give you a fixed penalty notice for unauthorised absence
• Give you an Education Supervision Order
• Prosecute you in the magistrate's court

Read more about legal action to enforce school attendance on GOV.UK.