School attendance remains a major education issue across England, but the most useful local discussion is not about blaming families or treating every absence in the same way. Cambridgeshire’s approach combines legal responsibilities with support intended to understand why a child is missing school.
Nationally, persistent absence is generally defined as missing 10% or more of available school sessions. The reasons can include illness, anxiety, family circumstances, transport difficulties, unmet special educational needs and other barriers that require different responses.
What Cambridgeshire expects
Cambridgeshire County Council states that children registered at school must attend regularly and punctually unless there is an acceptable reason for absence. Schools record authorised and unauthorised absence and are expected to work with families when attendance becomes a concern.
The council’s current guidance describes Attendance Contracts as a voluntary support mechanism. Schools and professionals can work with families to identify barriers, agree actions and review progress. Where repeated unauthorised absence continues, a Notice to Improve or formal enforcement may follow.
Support before enforcement
Attendance policy is increasingly expected to distinguish between unwillingness to attend and genuine barriers to attendance. A child struggling with health, anxiety or additional needs may require support rather than a purely punitive response.
That does not remove the legal duty on parents to secure regular attendance, but it does mean that effective intervention depends on understanding the cause of absence rather than simply counting missed sessions.
Term-time leave and penalties
Cambridgeshire also makes clear that term-time holidays are not an automatic entitlement. Leave can be authorised only in exceptional circumstances, and unauthorised absence can result in penalty notices or prosecution under the current rules.
The council currently lists penalty notices of £80 if paid within 21 days or £160 if paid within 22 to 28 days, with higher consequences for repeated cases. Families should always check current guidance because attendance rules and penalty arrangements can change.
Why attendance data needs care
Persistent absence is associated with weaker educational outcomes, but a statistic does not explain an individual child’s situation. Attendance data should be used to identify where support is needed, not to assume that all families face the same circumstances.
For Cambridgeshire schools, the challenge is to combine clear expectations with early intervention so that children remain connected to education wherever possible.