You can be prosecuted if you don’t give your child an education. You’ll normally get warnings and offers of help from the local council first.
You can get education and attendance information from your council.
When your child can miss school
You can only allow your child to miss school if either:
- They’re too ill to go in
- You’ve got advance permission from the school
There’s extra support available if your child can’t go to school for long periods because of a health problem.
Holidays in term time
You have to get permission from the head teacher if you want to take your child out of school during term time.
You can only do this if:
- you make an application to the head teacher in advance (as a parent the child normally lives with)
- there are exceptional circumstances
It’s up to the head teacher how many days your child can be away from school if leave is granted.
You can be fined for taking your child on holiday during term time without the school’s permission.