School Standards and Framework Act 1998

63 School attendance targets

(1) Regulations may make provision for and in connection with—

(a) requiring, or

(b) enabling the Secretary of State to require,

governing bodies of maintained schools to secure that annual targets are set for reducing the level of unauthorised absences on the part of relevant day pupils at their schools.

(2) Regulations under this section may, in particular, make provision—

(a) for the Secretary of State to impose such a requirement on the governing body of a maintained school where—

(i) the specified condition is for the time being satisfied in relation to the school, and

(ii) he considers it appropriate to impose the requirement;

(b) for such a requirement to be imposed by the Secretary of State in such manner, and for such period, as may be specified in or determined in accordance with the regulations;

(c) for the Secretary of State, where he considers it appropriate to do so, to exempt the governing body of a maintained school, in relation to any school year, from a requirement imposed by virtue of subsection (1)(a) or (b).

(3) For the purposes of subsection (2)(a)(i) the specified condition is for the time being satisfied in relation to a maintained school if in the previous school year the level of unauthorised absences on the part of relevant day pupils at the school (as determined in accordance with the regulations) exceeded such level as may for that year be specified in or determined in accordance with the regulations.

(4) In this section—

• “relevant day pupil” means a pupil registered at a maintained school who is of compulsory school age and is not a boarder;

• “unauthorised absence”, in relation to such a pupil, means any occasion on which the pupil is recorded as absent without authority pursuant to regulations under section 434 of the [1996 c. 56.] Education Act 1996 (registration of pupils).