Absence from school

If the school Head feels there is a good reason, such as special events in the family, then he or she can give exceptional permission for a pupil not to attend school.

Unlawful absence is the term for when pupils have not attended school without explanation from the parents to the school or without permission from the school Head.

In this case, the school should contact the parents to find out why the pupil has not attended classes. 

If it turns out that the absence is because the pupil has either academic or social problems in the school, it is the duty of the school to help the pupil and the parents to solve the problems.

If a pupil has been sick for more than 2 weeks, the school can require a doctor’s note to justify the illness.

If a pupil falls sick and there is reason to believe that the sickness will last for a longer period, the school should contact the parents as soon as possible so that they can jointly consider whether the child should be offered studies during the illness.

When the pupil returns to the school again after being ill for some time, it is up to the school Head to decide whether the pupil needs additional classes to catch up with their classmates. 

If you wish to appeal about how your child’s absence from primary school has been dealt with, you can first approach the school Head, who has overall administrative and educational responsibility for the school.

• Act on the absence of pupils from primary school (in Danish)
• Ministry for Children and Education

• Statistics on absences from schools – website for educational statistics (in Danish)