Our Attendance Service works in partnership with schools, families and partner agencies to improve school attendance and ensure every child in Waltham Forest has access to a suitable, full-time education. Working Together to Improve School Attendance (July 2026) affirms that attendance is everyone’s responsibility and that improving attendance requires a coordinated, supportive approach involving schools, families, trusts, local authorities and wider partners. We are committed to working with our families, to identify and remove barriers to attendance before considering legal intervention.
In Waltham Forest, we view our collective role is to:
Set high expectations for attendance
Identify concerns early
Listen, understand and remove barriers
Provide coordinated support
Escalate support where necessary
To achieve our collective ambition, we recognise that:
Schools lead day-to-day attendance improvement, build relationships with families, monitor attendance, provide early support, and coordinate interventions.
Academy trusts and governing bodies provide strategic oversight, challenge and support school leaders, ensure compliance, allocate resources and promote effective practice.
Local authority provides strategic leadership across an area, analyse attendance trends, coordinate support, facilitate multi-agency working and lead statutory attendance interventions.
Parents have the legal responsibility to ensure their child receives a suitable education and attends school regularly when registered. Parents/Carers are expected to engage with support and work in partnership with schools.
Pupils should be involved in discussions about barriers to attendance and the support needed to overcome them.
Wider partners such as social care, health services, police, youth offending teams, virtual schools and voluntary organisations should be invited to contribute specialist support to address underlying causes of absence
As a parent or carer, you are legally responsible for making sure your child receives a suitable full-time education from the age of 5 to 16. For most families, this means ensuring your child attends school every day and on time, unless there is a valid reason for absence. Missing school, even occasionally, can cause children to fall behind in their learning, making it more difficult to catch up and achieve their potential. School provides a daily routine that supports emotional, social and academic development. Consistent attendance helps children develop positive habits and resilience. School helps keep children safe, supported and connected with trusted adults and friends. Good attendance can reduce the risk of isolation and vulnerability, including exploitation and other safeguarding concerns.
Attending school regularly helps children develop confidence, communication skills, resilience and a positive attitude towards learning and work.
Parents can support attendance by:
Establishing Positive Routines
Communicating with School
Working with the School
Supporting Wellbeing
When absence is allowed
Your child can legally miss school if:
You must contact the school on the first day of absence to explain why your child is not in school. If you don't, the school will follow up to find out the reason.
Many children can continue attending school with:
Parents are expected to make a reasonable judgement based on their child's condition.
If you are unsure, it is usually better to send your child to school and inform staff of your concerns. Staff can monitor your child's wellbeing and contact you if necessary.
Parents should follow their school's Attendance Policy.
The policy will explain:
Schools have a duty to monitor attendance, safeguard children and identify attendance patterns that may require support or intervention.
All requests for leave of absence must be made in advance. Schools may only authorise leave in exceptional circumstances. Term-time holidays are not normally considered exceptional circumstances.
If leave is taken without authorisation:
Families are encouraged to arrange holidays during school closure periods.
The Local Authority recognises that some children with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND) may face additional barriers to school attendance.
Schools, (Name of Service) and partner agencies will consider:
The expectation remains that all children should attend school regularly wherever possible. However, support and intervention should be tailored to meet individual needs and remove barriers to attendance.
Some children experience significant anxiety or emotional distress about attending school.
Signs may include:
Parents should speak to the school as soon as possible if they believe their child is struggling with emotionally based attendance difficulties.
Early intervention can help prevent attendance difficulties becoming more entrenched.
Support can only be effective when families engage with it.
Where support is:
the school and Local Authority may determine that voluntary intervention has not been effective and may move to the next stage of the attendance framework.
This may include:
Each case is considered individually, taking account of fairness, proportionality and the child's circumstances.
We appreciate that there are a range of factors or reasons that your child may struggle to attend school, if your child is not attending school as expected, or you have concerns about your child’s attendance, we would encourage you to:
Speak to the school as early as possible.
Share any concerns about health, wellbeing or family circumstances.
Engage with any support offered.
Attend meetings and reviews.
Work in partnership with the school and our attendance officer(s) to improve attendance
Support is available and early intervention is often the most effective way of preventing attendance concerns from escalating.
Under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, parents are legally responsible for ensuring that their child receives a suitable full-time education. Education must be efficient, full-time, suitable to the child's age, ability and aptitude and appropriate to any Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND).
Most parents meet this duty by registering their child at school. Once registered, children are expected to attend every day the school is open unless there is an authorised reason for absence.
Under Sections 444 and 576 of the Education Act 1996, a "parent" includes:
Waltham Forest follows a graduated response to attendance concerns. The purpose of the graduated response is to ensure that families are given appropriate support and opportunities to improve attendance before statutory intervention is considered.
Stage 1 – School Attendance Monitoring
Stage 2 – Targeted Attendance Support
Stage 3 – (Service Name) Involvement
Stage 4 – Notice to Improve
Stage 5 – Fixed Penalty Notice Consideration
A Fixed Penalty Notice may be considered where:
Stage 6 – Further Statutory Intervention
The Local Authority may consider:
Each case will be considered individually and decisions will be made in accordance with legislation, statutory guidance and the principles of fairness, consistency and proportionality.
Notice to Improve (NTI)
A Notice to Improve is a formal step within Waltham Forest's graduated response to attendance concerns and may be issued where:
The Notice to Improve will:
The Notice to Improve provides families with a final opportunity to secure sustained improvement before further enforcement action, including the consideration of a Fixed Penalty Notice or other statutory interventions.
Parents are strongly encouraged to engage with the school and (Name of Service) during this period to address barriers to attendance and avoid further escalation.
Circumstance | Amount Payable | Payment Deadline | Outcome if Unpaid |
First Fixed Penalty Notice | £80 per parent, per child | Within 21 days | Increases to £160 |
First Fixed Penalty Notice | £160 per parent, per child | Between 22 and 28 days | May result in prosecution |
Second Fixed Penalty Notice (same child within a rolling three-year period) | £160 per parent, per child | Within 28 days | May result in prosecution |
Third Attendance Offence (same child within a rolling three-year period) | No Fixed Penalty Notice available | N/A | Consideration of prosecution under Section 444 Education Act 1996 |
Attendance Contracts
An Attendance Contract is a formal written agreement between parents, the school and/or the Local Authority designed to help improve a child's attendance.
Attendance Contracts may be used where attendance concerns continue despite earlier support. They help families, schools and the Local Authority work together to identify barriers to attendance and agree practical actions to improve it.
An Attendance Contract will usually:
Although called a contract, it is not legally binding and is not an enforcement action. However, it demonstrates a shared commitment to improving attendance and may be considered as part of the wider attendance process if concerns continue.
Attendance Contracts are generally used:
An Education Supervision Order (ESO) is a legal measure used by local authorities in England and Wales to support children who are not attending school regularly. It is designed to help families improve school attendance without immediately resorting to prosecution.
An ESO is granted by the Family Court under Section 36 of the Children Act 1989. It places a child under the supervision of a local authority-appointed officer, usually an Attendance Support Officer, who works closely with the child, parents, school, and other agencies to address the reasons for poor attendance.
An ESO is considered when:
Before applying for an ESO, the local authority will usually hold a planning meeting with the family, school, and any involved professionals to create a voluntary support plan. If this plan fails and attendance does not improve, an ESO may be applied for with the family's knowledge and involvement.
Once granted, the ESO:
Parents retain parental responsibility, but they must comply with the directions of the Supervising Officer. They cannot move the child to another school without the local authority's permission during the ESO.
If the child or parents do not comply:
A Parenting Order is a legal measure that can be issued by a Court when a parent has been found guilty of failing to ensure their child attends school regularly.
Parenting Orders are designed to support parents in meeting their responsibilities for their child's education and attendance. They focus on helping families address the causes of poor attendance and supporting positive and lasting improvements.
A Parenting Order may be considered where:
A Parenting Order aims to help parents develop the skills, strategies and confidence needed to support their child's regular attendance at school.
The Order may require a parent to:
Parenting Orders are intended to support positive changes in attendance and may be used alongside other legal interventions where appropriate.
Parents are expected to comply with the requirements set out in the Parenting Order.
Failure to comply with the requirements of a Parenting Order may result in further action being taken by the Court.
Parents who are struggling to meet the requirements of a Parenting Order should speak to the relevant professional or service involved as early as possible so that appropriate support can be considered.
Parenting Orders may be considered alongside:
https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence/legal-action-to-enforce-school-attendance