Explanatory note

These Regulations amend the Education (School Attendance Targets) (England) Regulations 1999 (“the principal Regulations”) in relation to England only on 1st January 2002.

Under the principal Regulations the Secretary of State may given written notice to the governing body of a maintained school to set an attendance target for each of the immediately following three school years.

These Regulations amend the principal Regulations to allow the Secretary of State to require an attendance target to be set for each of the school years immediately following the notice as she may specify.

It is a condition precedent under the principal Regulations that such notice may only be given where a school’s unauthorised absence rate exceeds the national average by at least three percentage points in each of the immediately preceding two school years.

These Regulations amend the condition precedent by allowing written notice to be given whenever a school’s unauthorised absence rate has exceeded the national average in each of the immediately preceding two school years.