Unauthorised Absences & Penalty Notices

Parental responsibilities

As a parent you have a legal responsibility to make sure your child gets a full-time education. Schools are required by law to keep attendance registers. Absences must either be marked as: authorised (only the school can authorise the absence) or unauthorised (where no acceptable reason is given).

Penalty Notices

A penalty notice is a fine issued by South Gloucestershire Council to parents/carers of a child who has failed to attend school regularly and whose absence is unauthorised. It does not require the parent to attend court but is an alternative to prosecution in the magistrate’s court. Parents/carers who pay the fine in full within the time limits cannot later beprosecuted for the offence to which the penalty notice relates. 

Penalty notices have been introduced because reducing absence from school is a key priority of the government and local authority. Missing school may limit a pupil’s attainment, disrupt school routines and the learning of others, and can leave a pupil vulnerable to anti-social behaviour and youth crime. 

We follow the national and South Gloucestershire guidance and parents may be issued with a fine if their child has unauthorised absences from school.

From South Gloucestershire: A penalty notice may be issued where there have been 10 sessions of unauthorised absence within 10 school weeks:

• Where the pupil has been absent for the purpose of a holiday and the absence has not been authorised by the Headteacher (Code G);

• Where the pupil has a pattern of unauthorised absence, not covered by any other code (Code O);

• Where the pupil has arrived in school late after the taking of the register, where no other code applies (Code U);

• Where a combination of the above Codes are recorded.

Click here for more information from South Gloucestershire on penalty notices.

Click here for their parent guide.