Note: references to 'parents' throughout this article means all those with parental and/or day-to-day responsibility of a child or young person, as defined in the statutory guidance on working together to improve school attendance.
Use sanctions as a last resort
Chapter 6 of the DfE’s statutory guidance on working together to improve school attendance sets out various legal interventions you can use to improve poor attendance.
Legal interventions can only be used for pupils of compulsory school age and all decisions should be made on a case by case basis.
Find guidance on preventative measures and strategies to improve and maintain attendance and avoid sanctions in our absence and attendance resource hub.
Start with voluntary support for pupils with poor attendance
Use our
