Education penalty notice code of conduct

Notice to improve 

A notice to improve is a final opportunity for a parent to engage in support and improve attendance before a penalty notice is issued. If the national threshold has been met and support is appropriate but offers of support have not been engaged with by the parent or have not worked, a notice to improve should usually be sent to give parents a final chance to engage in support. An authorised officer can choose not to use one in any case, including cases where support is appropriate, but they do not expect a notice to improve would have any impact on a parent’s behaviour (e.g. because the parent has already received one for a similar offence). 

Local arrangements for the use of Notices to Improve across Southwark are as follows: 

  1. Schools across Southwark may issue a Notice to Improve to any parent whose child’s absence levels have triggered the national threshold for a penalty notice – i.e. 10 sessions of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. 

  2. The Notice to Improve may be used to offer parent/s a final opportunity to engage with support and improve the attendance levels of the child concerned. Where a parent does not engage with the offer of support during the Notice to Improve validity period and/or further unauthorised absences are recorded for the pupil and/or the pupil does not make significant improvements in their attendance patterns, a penalty notice may be issued in line with this code of conduct. 

  3. All Notices to Improve issued by Southwark schools will have a validity period of 6 school weeks (a maximum of 30 school days) and will clearly list the attempts which have been made and support which has already been offered to resolve the absence concerns. Parents should be provided with clear contact details for the staff member/s within the school that they should contact to access the support that still is available during the Notice to Improve validity period.  

  4. Schools and lead professionals will closely monitor attendance records  throughout the improvement period and, where further unauthorised absence is recorded, consideration will be given as to whether a penalty notice is to be issued. 

  5. Schools do not have to wait until 30 school days have passed before considering a penalty notice – decisions will need to be taken on a case-by-case basis, based on the level of parental/pupil engagement and/or level of attendance improvement noted.  

  6. Sufficient improvements during the Notice to Improve validity period may include evidence of no further unauthorised absences within the improvement period or enough improvement tailored to the specific family circumstances. 

  7. When a Notice to Improve has been issued by a school to a parent a copy should be sent to the Local Authority via earlyhelp@southwark.gov.uk. 

  8. Authorised LA officers may also issue a notice to improve as part of the Stage 2 approach to improve attendance, for example following a TAF meeting. 

Page last updated: 07 November 2024

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