What is an authorised absence?

Authorised absence from school

Authorised absence’ means that the school has either given approval in advance for a pupil of compulsory school age to be away or has accepted an explanation offered afterwards as justification for absence.

The following are the most common acceptable reasons for absence.

• Genuine illness
  • Sickness and diarrhoea require at least 48 hours away from school.
  • Check with the school office for the latest advice if your child has Covid symptoms.
• Medical appointments, though regular check-ups, should be booked well in advance and for a time in a school holiday.
• Exceptional circumstances
  • All sorts of things can happen unexpectedly, but you should contact the school in advance or as soon as possible to have this type of absence authorised.

Where there have been several absences that are acceptable in the first instance. The school may no longer accept the reason given, and the absence will be unauthorised. This is most common in cases where frequent minor illness is given as the reason, but the number of days missed is unreasonable for the illness. In such a case, the school would expect the parent or carer to be able to evidence attempts to find out the cause and treat the illness to maximise school attendance.