It is your responsibility as a parent or carer to make sure your child or children attends school.
If your child will be absent or late
If your child is struggling with school attendance you should always speak to their school in the first instance.
For the safety of all children it is important for you to telephone the school office at the start of the school day before 9am and every subsequent day of their absence.
If your child will be late for school, then they must report to the school office on arrival at school.
The school may contact you by phone if there are any concerns about a child’s absence.
If your child needs to leave during the school day
You should let the school know before 1.15pm if your child was not returning to school after lunch because of becoming unwell over that period.
In primary schools, pupils who need to leave school during the school day must be collected by a named contact confirmed with the school office. They must also report to the school office on their return to school.
In secondary schools, pupils who need to leave school during the school day are required to:
- sign out at the school office and provide their reason for leaving
- report to the school office on their return to school
Dental and medical appointments
If possible, try to make dental and medical appointments out with school hours. If this is not possible, you should inform the school in writing with a letter or an email and arrange to collect your child from school.
The NHS provides guidance if your child is too ill for school. Read "Is my child too ill for school?" on the NHS website.
Planned absences from school
You must write to the school in advance to notify them of any planned absences. This can be provided to the school office, the child’s register teacher or their pupil support teacher by a letter, phone call or email.
Make sure the school has your contact details
It is essential that school has your correct details incase they need to contact you if your child is ill.
You should provide:
- telephone numbers where a response will be received – this can be your home or work number
- emergency contacts
If there's no valid reason for the absence
If your child is frequently absent or there's irregular absences that are not supported by a valid reason then the school will notify you.
If there are concerns, the matter may be referred to the Attendance Support team.
Staff will ensure that absences are checked everyday and follow up the whereabouts of any child for whom we have no explanation.
Support and further information
This includes:
- school attendance: a guide for parents on the gov.scot website
- school attendance factsheet for parents on the Enquire website
Parents and carers video on attendance
This video by Forth Valley and West Lothian RIC highlights why attendance matters. Watch Parents and Carers Video - Attendance on YouTube.
NHS video: supporting your child to attend or get back to school
This workshop from the Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust focuses on supporting parents to help their child to attend or get back to school. Watch supporting your child to attend or get back to school on YouTube.