The Education Welfare Service main function is to encourage and enforce school attendance.

• Our Mission statement

Did You Know - Every Lesson Counts?

Attending school on a regular basis is the key to your child doing well at school and will set them up with good habits for later life and the working world. It will also give your child the opportunity to:

• make lots of friends and feel included
• learn new things and develop many skills
• increase their confidence and self-esteem
• improve their social skills
• be part of a school team or club
• have better career prospects
• achieve their potential and fulfil their aspirations

Every Lesson Counts aims to highlight the fact that just a few small changes can go a long way. Parents are advised to:

• show their child that they think school is very important
• praise their child's achievements
• think about creating a reward book for their child for good attendance
• not keep their child off school if they are worried or have a problem - they should talk about it with their school or Education Welfare Officer
• organise their child's equipment, homework, kit, bus fares and dinner money the night before
• recognise that if children get into bad habits at an early age, it is hard to break them later in life

If a child misses just one day a week, over the course of their school career they will miss two years of schooling.

A few small changes can make a difference if your child has problems with going to school.

• talking to your child about why they don’t want to go to school,
• helping your child to be organised so that mornings are not stressful.”
• the whole family can play a part. Older children in the family can help younger children get to school, as well as being strong role models for regular attendance,
• other members of the family and friends can also have a vital role to play.

At home, routine is the key to making simple changes for success.

• going to school unprepared can be a major worry for children - help by checking schoolbags the night before, packing P.E. bags and keeping an eye on homework progress
• tired children aren't punctual and find it hard to learn, so ensure your child has a sensible bedtime
• help your children get into a regular routine and set the alarm or call them at the same time every morning
• make time for breakfast so there are no shop stops where children can get side-tracked on the way to school
• children can become unsettled if they have to go into school late and without their friends - getting children to school in time to meet friends in the playground prevents this
• have a memory board at home for special trips or activities - the board will help your children remember to tell you and help you remember to prepare them for it.

School absence, which might at first be relatively infrequent, can rapidly accumulate. Try to stay strict on even infrequent absence, and show your child that attending school is a priority to you and is key to their future success.

If your child is having problems

• If your child is having problems with attendance, talking to their school is the best place to start.
• Don’t be afraid to get to know your child’s teacher and head teacher – communicating problems is the first step to solving them.

Regular school attendance - why it's so important

• Going to school regularly is important to your child’s future. For example, children who miss school frequently can fall behind with their work and do less well in exams.
• Good attendance shows potential employers that your child is reliable. Research suggests that children who attend school regularly could also be at less risk of getting involved in antisocial behaviour or crime.

School attendance and truancy: the law

• By law, all children of compulsory school age (five to 16) must receive a suitable full-time education. For most parents, this means registering their child at a school - though some choose to make other arrangements to provide a suitable, full-time education.

Once your child is registered at a school, you are legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly. If your child fails to do so, you risk getting a penalty notice or being prosecuted

Preventing your child from missing school: what you can do

You can help prevent your child skipping school by:

• making sure they understand the importance of good attendance and punctuality
• taking an interest in their education – ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school activities
• discussing any problems they may have at school - inform their teacher or headteacher about anything serious
• not letting them take time off school for minor ailments - particularly those which would not prevent you from going to work
• arranging appointments and outings after school hours, at weekends or during school holidays will help to prevent disruption to your child’s education and to the school.
• under normal circumstances, you should not expect the school to agree to your child going on holiday during term time. Parents do not have an automatic right to holiday during term time and permission will only be given in exceptional circumstances.

Support on school attendance

There are many different issues which can affect school attendance. Examples include problems with:

• bullying
• housing or care arrangements
• transport to and from school
• work and money

If your child starts missing school, there may a problem you are not aware of. Ask your child first, then approach their teacher or form tutor.

Support from the school

Your child’s school is the first place to go to discuss any attendance problems. The school should try to agree a plan with you to improve your child’s attendance. If you don’t follow the plan and things don’t improve, the school will take further action. 1200 schools are currently using Parent Support Advisers (PSAs) to work with parents to improve children's behaviour and attendance. The government is expanding the availability of PSAs to allow them to reach 10 to 15 schools in each local authority.

Support from your local authority

Your local authority can also help if you are struggling to ensure that your child goes to school. Potential forms of support include:

• home tuition for children with long term and recurring illnesses, so they do not fall too far behind
• support to help reduce the burden on children where families are in difficulty (for example, if a child is spending a lot of time caring for someone)
• working with families and schools to overcome bullying and other serious problems

If you need help from the local authority, in the first instance contact the Education Welfare Service.

Is Your Child Missing Out?

Additional documents can be viewed below: