"Securing good attendance is not the preserve of any individual. It is the partnership and commitment of all school staff, parents and governors in promoting excellent attendance and punctuality for all."  

The new government have been very clear in their intention to improve school attendance as a national priority. This has resulted in the alignment of policy nationally, in particular in relation to the issuing of penalty notices by local authorities. 

Below is the ‘Parents Guide for Penalty Notice Changes’ shared by Greenwich, as part of the national strategy. It details that there will be a single consistent national threshold for when a penalty notice must be considered by all schools in England. This equates to 10 sessions (5 days) of unauthorised absence, within a rolling 10 school week period. 

Unauthorised absence includes, but is not limited to, the following: 

• term time holidays 

• days off for a birthday or family celebration 

• regular days of unexplained lateness, resulting in a child receiving a ‘U’ code (arriving after 9:30am) 

• parent unwell and unable to bring child to school 

• bad weather 

• feeling tired 

Please see our attendance leaflet below for further details and advice on how to develop good attendance habits.