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<p>Parents have a duty, under Section 7 of the Education Act 1996, to ensure that
their child of compulsory school age (5-16) receives an efficient full-time education
either by attendance at school or otherwise.</p><p>If parents register their child
at school, the law places a duty on parents to ensure their child of compulsory school
age attends school regularly.</p><p>A penalty notice is a fine issued to parents for
failing to secure their child’s regular attendance at school. The Parental Responsibility
Measures Attendance census collects data from local authorities annually on parental
responsibility measures issued to address poor attendance in state-funded schools.
It is a matter for schools and local authorities to decide whether to issue a penalty
notice for unauthorised term time absence.</p><p>The Department has not formally assessed
the impact of penalty notices, but comparable data shows overall absence rates have
remained fairly stable across recent years, following a generally downward trend since
2006/07 (4.8% in 2017/18, compared to 6.5% in 2006/07).</p><p> </p>
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