We believe children shouldn’t be marked down as absent for hospital or GP appointments. These are authorised absences but still lower attendance records. We urge the Government to create a separate code so medical care doesn’t impact students’ attendance records.

At the moment, hospital and GP appointments during school hours count as authorised absences, but they still lower a child’s attendance record. We believe this is unfair on children with health conditions or disabilities who need regular care. We want the Government to bring in a separate attendance code so medical appointments don’t reduce attendance percentages or make families look like they aren’t supporting education.