Truancy
Regular school attendance is vital for the welfare and future of
your child. Pupils who miss school can quickly fall behind in
developing their education and the skills and knowledge to
progress.
The law states that children of compulsory age (5 -15) must
receive a suitable full-time education. Parents are responsible for
registering their child at a school or, if they choose to,
making other arrangements to provide their child with a suitable
full-time education. Parents continue to be legally
responsible for making sure their child attends school
regularly once registered. Failure to ensure this can result
in a penalty notice or prosection. For more information on
school attendance law and action on non-attendance, visit
Directgov - School attendance and truancy: the law.
The Education Welfare Service (EWS) works with schools,
parents and pupils to provide support and guidance in the areas of
school attendance, exclusion and child employment. Each school has
an assigned education welfare officer who can be contacted through
the school or at the local children's services office. Contact
details for children's service offices throughout Cumbria are
available in the children's
services section of the Cumbria County Council website.
The EWS can also be contacted directly by pupils and
parents. If you are concerned about your child's attendance,
please contact the school or children's service office. Education
welfare officers can can arrange a home or school visit to discuss
appropriate solutions.
More information on truancy, education welfare and parental
responsibility is available from the following pages of the Cumbria
County Council website:
Allerdale Borough Council
