Only in exceptional circumstances, temporarily, and with your written agreement. A school cannot impose a reduced timetable or use it for behaviour; without your consent your child stays full-time (DfE guidance, 2024).
The rule
Every child of compulsory school age is entitled to a full-time education suitable for them (section 19, Education Act 1996). The Department for Education's Working together to improve school attendance guidance, in force since August 2024, allows a temporary part-time timetable only in very exceptional circumstances, where it is in the child's best interests, for example to meet a medical need. It is a short bridge back to full-time school, not a standing arrangement.
What makes one lawful, and what makes one not
A part-time timetable is only allowed when it carries all of these features. If any one is missing, your child should be full-time.
- Your written agreement. The parent the child normally lives with has to agree to it. You do not have to, and you can withdraw your agreement later, in which case full-time provision should be restored.
- A clear aim and a reintegration plan. It should be part of a wider plan to support your child back into full-time attendance.
- Regular review dates and an end date. A fixed point by which your child is expected back full-time, with reviews along the way.
- Not used to manage behaviour. The guidance is explicit that a part-time timetable must not be used to manage a pupil's behaviour.
Two things the top results often leave out. Your consent is the deciding factor, and it is revocable. And a timetable that is open-ended, used to manage behaviour or anxiety, or effectively forced on you by pressure, is not allowed. Imposing one without your agreement can amount to an unlawful informal exclusion, where a child is sent home outside the formal suspension process (IPSEA). IPSEA advises that the arrangement should be capped at around six weeks.
If your child has an EHCP
The same rules apply, with one addition: the school should discuss the timetable with the local authority so the support package can be reviewed quickly. If your child is spending large parts of the week out of school, ask for an early or interim annual review of the plan. A reduced timetable is usually a sign that support is not yet right, not that your child cannot manage school. If attendance is breaking down because of anxiety, it may be emotionally based school avoidance, which calls for support rather than pressure.
How to challenge one
Ask the school, in writing, to confirm the legal basis for the timetable, your recorded agreement, the review dates and the end date. If it is open-ended, or you never agreed to it, say in writing that you withdraw any agreement and expect full-time provision to resume. A free SEND adviser can help you word this: try the IPSEA advice line or your local SENDIASS. You can read the conditions in more detail in is a reduced timetable legal for my SEND child?
Where the law comes from
Related
This page is general information, not clinical or legal advice.