It is very important to make sure your children regularly attend school, as this helps them achieve and get the best possible start in life. In the UK, parents and guardians also have a legal responsibility to make sure their child attends school.

This means that if your child regularly misses school without a good reason, the school and Leeds City Council will contact you and will want to help you make sure they do attend.

They will talk to you about the best ways to improve your child’s attendance.

If the attendance still doesn’t improve, the council could make you pay a fine or take you to court.

If your child needs to miss school

Children sometimes have to miss school because of illness or if they have long term medical problems. If this happens to your child, you should contact school the same day to let them know the reason that your child is not in school.

If you need to take your child out of school during term time, for example if you need to travel abroad, you have to get permission from the head teacher first. If you do this without permission, you can be fined.

You can find more information from Leeds City Council here:

Leeds City Council: school attendance guide


Last Updated: 9 January 2023

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