Nottinghamshire parents are facing being prosecuted by Nottingham City Council if their child is frequently absent from school.
Nottingham City Council have warned parents if they take their child out of school during term time, then they will have to take action against them.
Parents who fail to get their child to school or get authorised absences will be fined up to £2,500 or even go to prison.
This is all part of a long-term action plan to improve school performance in the city through the Nottingham Schools Challenge Board.
Councillor Sam Webster, Portfolio Holder for Schools in Nottingham, said: “Our message is a strong one, but we have to be clear: children who are registered with a school need to be in that school, it’s the law.”
We want all children to achieve their full potential. This means that every lesson counts!
Sam Webster, Portfolio Holder for Schools in Nottingham.
A Nottingham mum was prosecuted at Magistrates Court after her daughter failed to attend a third of her lessons.
One of the key reasons for the new stricter regulations is because children who miss a lot of school days struggle to catch up with the work they have missed. This can lead to them losing out on GCSE grades.
Councillor Sam Webster, said: “For this reason we want all parents to understand that the City Council will take action when a child is persistently absent without agreement from the school. Through the courts, this could be a fine of up to £2,500 or even prison.”
Video: Councillor Sam Webster talks about what the City Council are going to do.
A lot of councils throughout the country are cracking down on this issue and are having to follow the new regulations to make sure parents get their child to school.
PCSOs and Education Welfare Officers will patrol community hotspots to ‘challenge’ young people who are not in school. A new online referral form has also been created to make it easier for schools to report parents.
Excellent attendance and good behaviour will be recognised and awarded, this will promote a positive attitude and behaviour.
Statistics published by the Department of Education in May show that Nottingham is now ranked 109th for overall attendance, out of 152 local authorities.
To get more information about schools and attendance visit www.nottinghamcity.gov.uk/schoolattendance.
