Why your child must go to school
Parents and carers have a legal duty to make sure that their children receive full-time education. School attendance is vital in a child's educational and social development.
Truancy, or by being absent from school without reasonable justification, means your child:
- misses out on valuable teaching
- runs the risk of becoming a victim of crime or getting involved in crime
- develops bad habits of poor reliability and time-keeping, which risks long-term unemployment
Employers found illegally employing school children are liable to prosecution and a fine of up to £1,000.
Parents and carers can be prosecuted, fined or even sent to prison if either:
- they don't make their children attend school regularly and punctually
- they condone their children's absence from school without reasonable justification