Traveller pupils: absence and attendance

Understand the legislation around attendance expectations for Traveller pupils, and find advice on when to authorise absence and which absence codes to use.

Last reviewed on 30 June 2022
School types: All · School phases: All
Ref: 13079
Contents
  1. Who are Travellers?
  2. Traveller children are expected to attend school regularly
  3. Authorising and recording absence

Who are Travellers?

‘Traveller’ is a general term that covers a number of different groups:

  • Roma
  • English and Welsh Gypsies
  • Irish and Scottish Travellers
  • Showmen (fairground people) and Circus people
  • Bargees (occupational boat dwellers)
  • New Travellers

This is explained in advice from the DfE (page 13).

Traveller children are expected to attend school regularly

Parents must ensure that, when their children are of compulsory school age, they are registered at a school and attend ‘regularly’. 

However, parents of children with no fixed abode have a defence against prosecution if they can prove all of the following:

This applies to parents of pupils