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School attendance

school attendance montage

Going to school regularly is key to children doing well. It sets them up with good routines for later life and gives them the opportunity to:

  • make new friends and feel included
  • learn new things and develop new skills
  • increase confidence and self-esteem
  • improve their social skills
  • achieve their full potential

Missing school has a huge impact on how a pupil gets on. The more school a child misses, the harder it is for them to get back into a routine and to catch up on missed work. Research has shown it can also lead to:

  • physical and emotional harm
  • exploitation
  • getting involved in crime and anti-social behaviour

90% attendance - Jack's story

Jack is a child with a 90% attendance rate. His mum and dad think this is quite good and are surprised when they're told he is considered to be "persistently absent".

90% attendance means that, on average, Jack has missed one half-day of school per week.

Image showing one half-day per week missed

Over a whole school year Jack would miss four weeks of lessons. He would also spend more time away from school over the year than in school:

365 days in a year, 171 days spent in school, 194 days spent out of school

If his attendance for all the years he went to school was 90% he would miss 209 days of school - that's more than a whole school year.

Tips for good attendance

  • Talk to your child about the importance of going to school every day
  • Take an interest in their school work, including helping with homework and attending parents’ evenings. If they know it matters to you it will matter to them.
  • Have set times for going to bed and waking up so your child gets plenty of sleep and is up in good time to get to school on time.
  • Stop using electronic devices one hour before bedtime. 
  • Have clothes and school bag ready the night before.
  • Only let your child stay home if they are genuinely ill.
  • If your child doesn’t want to go to school, find out why and work with your school and child to try to sort out the problem.
  • Celebrate your child’s achievements at school and their good attendance.
  • Try to book doctor, dentist, and other appointments after school hours.
  • Book holidays in the school holidays, not term time.
  • If you need help, ask for it. Scroll down this page for details of how to get help.

What about lateness?

When a child arrives late to school it can be very disruptive to the child, the teacher and other children in the class. The child will be marked as late on the register.

If the child arrives very late, the child will be marked as an "Unauthorised Late" - This is the same as an Unauthorised Absence.

Unauthorised absence and the law

Once a child is registered at a school, the law says their parent or carer must send them to school every day and on time, unless the headteacher has authorised an absence.

Examples of an authorised absence could include:

  • Genuine illness of the pupil
  • Hospital/dental etc. appointment for the pupil that can't be made out of school hours
  • Death of a near relative
  • Religious observance (faith of the parents/carers)

Unauthorised absences could include:

  • shopping trips
  • a birthday treat
  • oversleeping
  • looking after other children
  • health of the parent/carer
  • family holidays - see here for more information

Unauthorised absences mean the parent could receive a warning notice, a fine, or be prosecuted. Visit Bradford council's attendance webpage for more details.

Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA)

Many children and young people worry about school. This is normal. Anxieties are part of life and learning to deal with them is part of growing up. However, sometimes these worries may lead to difficulties attending school.

When a young person has lots of worried feelings, and this begins to affect their ability to attend school, they may be experiencing Emotionally Based School Avoidance (EBSA).

EBSA is not a medical diagnosis but a way of understanding that there is something causing a young person to feel worried and that is impacting how they feel about attending school.

You can find out more about EBSA on the Bradford District Local Offer website.

Bradford's Educational Psychology Team run parent support groups from Family Hubs in which you can find a safe space to share your experiences, listen to other parents, learn more about what you can do to support your child, and what you can expect from school. More sessions are due to take place from September 2026 so please check back then.

Support for you

Every parent struggles at some point. If you're having difficulties with your child that are affecting their school attendance, it's really important that you get help as soon as possible.

Education drop-ins

Bradford's Attendance Team hold Education drop-in sessions at Family Hubs for parents and carers of children aged 5 to 16 who attend/have a place at a school in the Bradford district.

If your child struggles to attend school regularly, or school have concerns about their attendance, these sessions are for you. You'll be able to discuss worries, seek advice, get details of services that can provide support and connect with an attendance support worker who will be able to support a conversation with your child's school.

These sessions are advertised on our What's On calendar.

Talking to your child's school

You could also speak with your child's school about your concerns. The school should work with you and support you to make sure your child goes to school regularly and on time. They can:

  • visit you at home or make time to see you at school
  • talk to you about all the problems that may be making it difficult for your child to attend school
  • help you to deal with the difficulties which stop your child from going to school regularly
  • put you in touch with other services, if you need more advice or support.
  • they may work with you to complete an Early Help Assessment

Bradford Council's Attendance Team

You can also contact Bradford Council's attendance team for advice and support:

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