Penalty Notices
Penalty Notices to Address Poor Attendance at School
A Penalty Notice may be issued as an alternative to the prosecution of a parent/carer for their child's unauthorised absence from school and will be used by Surrey County Council in the following circumstances :-
- Pupils identified by police and education welfare officers engaged on Truancy Patrols and who have incurred unauthorised absences.
- Unauthorised holidays in term time (5 days or 10 sessions or more). In such cases the Headteacher/Governing Body will request that the Local Authority issue a Penalty Notice. Warnings will not be given where it can be shown that parents have been notified that such absences will not be authorised.
- The issue of a Penalty Notice will also be considered where it is judged that a parent is failing to ensure their child's regular school attendance. This includes children who are late after the close of the registration period of their school on at least 5 occasions in any half term.
If you believe at any stage that your child's absence from school may leave you liable to receive a Penalty Notice, it is extremely important that you take action without delay to secure their regular attendance. If you have any questions or require further support to achieve an improvement, please contact the school or the education welfare officer.
Penalty Notice relating to Exclusions
If a child is excluded from school, Section 103 of the Education and Inspections Act 2006 places a duty on parents/carers to ensure that their child is not in a public place without justifiable cause during school hours. This duty applies to the first five days of each exclusion. Failure to do so will render the parent/carer liable to a Penalty Notice.
(Alternative education provision will be made available from the sixth day of any exclusion.)
Amount Payable for a Penalty Notice
The amount payable for penalty notices is £80 per notice if paid within 21 days. If paid between 21 and 28 days, the amount payable is £160 per notice.
If a parent/carer has incurred a penalty notice for the same child since 19 August 2024, the rolling three year period will be activated from the date of the first penalty notice and the second penalty notice will be charged at the flat rate of £160, per notice. There will be no reduction for paying within 21 days.
Where a parent/carer has incurred 2 penalty notices for the same child within that rolling three year period, the parent/carer cannot receive a further penalty notice and Surrey County Council will consider a prosecution under s 444 Education Act 1996
Advice and support is available from an Education Welfare Officer by contacting your local Education Office as follows:-
| North West | Tel: 01483 519900 |
| North East | Tel: 01372 833000 |
| South West | Tel: 01483 517900 |
| South East | Tel: 01737 737600 |
Student Attendance
For more information about the Schools Attendance Policy, procedures and advice please download the following files: