School truancy

This page provides information for you if your child does not want to attend school.

Research shows that children who attend school regularly are likely to be more successful. A pupil who misses a day at school a week misses an equivalent of two whole years in their school life. This obviously leads to gaps in their knowledge that become difficult to fill. A recent survey has indicated that more than 70% of children who did not attend school regularly admitted to committing at least one criminal offence.

Wolverhampton City Council’s Education Department is trying to improve overall school attendance by working on initiatives with the police and other agencies. It is hoping to raise awareness of the problem to parents and carers, pupils, schools and communities / local businesses.

Unacceptable reasons for absence include:

Shopping
Birthday treats and trips
Looking after others at home
Non-urgent medical or dental appointments

Expected attendance level

The Department for Education and Skills expects all students to achieve an attendance level of at least 90% in every school year and individual schools generally expect a much higher level.

Authorised absence

If your child is ill or unable to attend school for some reason, you need to contact the school by telephone and / or letter to inform them. The school will then ‘authorise’ the absence.

Unauthorised absence

If your child has been away from school for three days (in some schools even sooner) without any parental contact, the school will send you a letter or make some other contact in order to check on the attendance. Such a letter could draw your attention to the fact that your child has been missing school without a reason. Such absence will be ‘unauthorised’ absence from school and it is unauthorised absence from school which carries with it the risk of prosecution.

All Local Education Authorities run Education Welfare Services whose main task is to monitor absence and work with families and young people where the level of absence is giving cause for concern. An Education Welfare Officer will have a ‘patch’, which in Wolverhampton City Council includes one or two secondary schools and their contributory primary schools.

The Education Welfare Service will work with the school, who will identify causes for concern where they need the specialist help of the Education Welfare Officer. The Education Welfare Officer will often visit the home and talk with students and parents about the problem and seek to resolve it amicably and achieve a return to school. However, should there be no genuine reason for absence, the Education Welfare Officer has the power to prosecute the parents for not sending their children to school.

You can find out who your school’s Education Welfare Officer is by:

asking the school
ringing the main Education Welfare Office in Wolverhampton City Council, using the details below

Further information

Ben Whitney
Access and Inclusion
Jennie Lee Centre
Lichfield Road
Wednesfield

WV11 3HT

Telephone: (01902) 55954
Fax: (01902) 555290
E-mail: attendance@wolverhampton.gov.uk