Non-school attendance prosecutions
These online forms are for schools to request legal proceedings for non-school attendance, under Section 444 of the Education Act 1996.
They should be completed when all reasonable school-based interventions have been tried but attendance has not improved.
It is recommended that you create a login before starting the form. This allows you to save your progress and return to complete it later.
Persistent absence
You’ll need to have the following information and evidence ready:
Pupil details
- full name, date of birth, address and school details
Parent or carer details
- full names, addresses and contact details
Attendance summary
- attendance certificate showing attendance below 90% over a minimum six week period
- evidence of unauthorised absences
Chronology and interventions
- summary of the previous six months
- details of any interventions - for example, letters sent, meetings held, parenting contracts or referrals to support services
- evidence that there has been no improvement despite interventions
- number of recent penalty notices issued (if applicable)
Actions taken by the school
- dates and details of contact with parents or carers - for example letters, phone calls or meetings
- support offered - for example early help, family support or SEN involvement
- outcome of interventions
- notice to improve issued, warning of potential legal action if attendance does not improve
Supporting documents
- witness statement from school staff
- record of interventions
You can upload attachments, but the total for all files must not exceed 20MB.
Submit a non-school attendance case for persistent absence
Term time holidays
You’ll need to have the following information and evidence ready:
Pupil details
- full name, date of birth, address and school details
Parent or carer details
- full names, addresses and contact details
Attendance certificate
- attendance certificate showing the G codes
Supporting documents
- witness statement from school staff
- evidence of how parents were notified of School Attendance Policy
- evidence of how parents were notified of term time holiday being unauthorised