Maldon parents have been warned not to keep their child off school if all they have is a headache or “slight cold”.

Plume School headteacher David Stephenson has written to parents to make them aware of the lowering of the pupil absence threshold.

From September, the government will be reducing the threshold from 15 per cent to 10 per cent.

This means a pupil with an attendence below 90 per cent will be classed as a “persistent absentee”, regardless of whether the school has authorised the absence or not.

This equates to 19 days of absence across the year.