All Milton Keynes schools publish their own attendance policy.

Please check your child’s school website or handbook for specific details.

Missing school adds up fast. An 80% attendance rate equals missing one day every week. 

Students who attend regularly:

• Keep up with lessons
• Build confidence
• Improve GCSE results

By law, children must be in full-time education from the term after their fifth birthday until the end of Year 11. If they do not attend regularly, you could face prosecution.

• Review your child’s school attendance policy.
• Decide if your child is too unwell for school (see NHS guidance).

Read the NHS guidance on is your child too ill for school

• Note new laws effective from 19 August 2024.

If your child accrues 10 unauthorised sessions within any 10 school weeks:

1. The school issues a Notice to Improve.
2. After 6 weeks without sufficient progress (or 3 weeks if improvement is minimal), a Penalty Notice may follow.

During this process, schools will:

• Meet you to agree an Attendance Contract
• Offer support (Early Help, multi-agency referrals)
• Tailor decisions to each family’s situation

Students with 50% attendance or below are classed as “Severely Absent.” In these cases, schools will:

• Hold multi-agency meetings
• Send a warning letter instead of a Notice to Improve
• Refer to the Local Authority for a PACE interview if there’s no progress

Historic poor attendance, sibling patterns, or previous prosecutions may also trigger this pathway.

Headteachers can only authorise leave for exceptional circumstances—not leisure or extended family visits.

If leave is unapproved and amounts to 10 unauthorised sessions in any 10-week span, the school can request a Fixed Penalty Notice (FPN).

Registers close 30 minutes after the school day starts (check your school’s exact closing time). Arrivals after that point are marked as unauthorised (code “U”). Ten unauthorised marks over 10 weeks can trigger the same process as absences.

Some children find it hard to attend due to anxiety or emotional distress. Signs include:

• Fear or physical complaints without a clear medical cause
• Refusal or reluctance to leave home

Contact your school to explore EBSA support services.

Whenever possible, book appointments outside school hours. If this isn’t feasible:

•          Give as much advance notice as you can

•          Bring the appointment confirmation into school

Request time off in advance for the actual day of a religious festival or collective family worship. Only that single day is authorised.

Penalty Notices apply per parent and per child:

Unpaid fines lead to magistrates’ court prosecution (up to £1,000 per parent). Repeat offences within three years start at £160 and may go straight to court.

You can pay online on our “Pay for it” page using the FPN serial number (starts with “SA”).

Read our Code of Conduct on FPNs and Enforcement Policy, or general attendance queries, email school.attendance@milton-keynes.gov.uk