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Sign in or register for an accountFor all children and young people to gain the greatest benefit from their education it is vital that they attend regularly and be at school, on time, every day that the school is open unless the reason for the absence is unavoidable. Any absence affects the pattern of a child’s schooling and regular absence will affect their learning. You can check your school's attendance policy on their website.
We know that some children and young people find it difficult to attend school. There are many complicated and tricky reasons why you might be struggling with getting your children to school, but support is available and you don’t have to struggle alone. If you're struggling to get your child to school, here is what we would advise:
begin by having an honest conversation with your child’s school as they may be able to offer extra support;
if you still need help, our Attendance Team can help. They have access to a whole wealth of knowledge and can provide all kinds of support so contact EWS@salford.gov.uk
if you still need help, our friendly Salford Family Partnership can help
If children are absent, it can impact not only on school grades, but their later life. By going to school, children can meet with their friends for social and emotional development. If they’re absent for five more days than the average, young people are more likely to not be in work by age 42 and have lower wages. Attending school on a regular basis is the key to your child doing well at school and will set them up with good routines for later life and the working world. It will also give your child the chance to:
make lots of friends and feel included
learn new things and develop many skills
increase confidence and self esteem
improve social skills
achieve their potential and fulfil aspirations
90% attendance means 19 school days, four weeks or 95 lessons are missed over a year.
Mark is a child who attends school for 90% of the time. His parents think this is quite good. Mark is absent from school for the equivalent of one half day a week. Over a whole school year Mark would miss four weeks of lessons. Mark would also spend more time away from school over the year than in school. If Mark's attendance for his whole time at school was 90% he would have missed 209 days of school. That's a whole school year!
It’s much more difficult for children to keep up with their education if they miss school and so fall behind – teachers have to make sure all students are progressing.
Teachers are following a curriculum, and if children have been out of the class, they may find the next bit of the topic much harder to understand.
Works with schools and other agencies to identify pupils with school attendance issues;
Works with parents who may be experiencing difficulty with their children in ensuring they attend school regularly;
Works directly with pupils to solve difficulties that may be affecting their attendance at school;
Works with the parents of pupils of statutory school age within a statutory framework. This may lead to prosecution if attendance fails to improve;
Seeks to promote equal opportunities in education for all children;
Use statistical analysis as a means of targeting resources and identifying specific school related issues;
Give advice and support;
Develop partnerships between home and school;
Identify children who are missing in education.
We want to ensure children and young people are in a safe space and not at risk of getting involved in crime and becoming exploited. The best way schools know children are safe during school hours is when they are in school.
If children are struggling to attend school every day, please speak to the school to see what help is available for both children and parents. This could include learning support or mental health support, such as worries or anxiety about attending school. We have lots of services that can support with many different issues or barriers to attendance and you can see more about this help by scrolling down this page.
The Salford Family Relationships team offer a number of interventions designed to help families and to support common parenting queries and questions. Parents and carers can access information 24/7 via our Being a parent page or attend a session in person or on line at different times of the day and week to suit you. Early Help schools co-ordinators can support schools to signpost to these sessions and Salford family relationship practitioners are available across the city to support any enquiries.
If you need advice and support to help you and your children overcome attendance difficulties, please contact our team direct by emailing EWS@salford.gov.uk
In some circumstances we can take legal action to enforce school attendance.
Speak to the school if you're struggling to get your child to attend school. You can also contact your relevant locality inclusion team, who will always aim to work alongside you and offer support
This page was last updated on 24 July 2026