The Moray Council places a high value on pupil attendance at school and sets this within the context of its purpose, aims and values.  The Council demonstrates its commitment to improving school attendance by ensuring statutory requirements are met, by providing effective co-ordination of services to children and by ensuring relevant policy and procedures and systems of support are in place.

Educational Services has the lead responsibility for the development of an inclusive approach to education involving:

• creating an ethos of achievement for all pupils within a climate of supporting all pupils to achieve their full potential.
• valuing a broad range of talents, skills, abilities and achievements.
• promoting success and self-esteem by taking action to remove barriers to learning.
• countering conscious and unconscious discrimination that may prevent individuals, or pupils from any particular groups, from thriving in school; and
• actively promoting understanding and a positive appreciation of the diversity of individuals and groups within society.  (Count Us In – Achieving Inclusion in Scottish Schools, 2002)

Supporting regular attendance at school is a priority because of its impact on teaching and learning and on levels of attainment.  There are well proven links between regular attendance at school and levels of individual pupil attainment.

It is the duty of every parent or guardian under The Education (Scotland) Act 1980, (Section 30) to provide efficient education for their child who is of school age.  Parents/guardians failing in the above duty make themselves liable to prosecution in terms of Section 43 of The Education (Scotland) Act 1980.  The law now provides for a fine of up to £1000, or imprisonment, or both, in the event of first or subsequent convictions, whether or not in respect of the same child.

Schools are required to record whether absence is authorised (for example, sickness, bereavement, religious observance) or unauthorised (for example, unexplained absence, truancy, most family holidays during term time).