It's not truancy. It's distress. And you can protect your child.

Fines are meant for unauthorised absence. DfE guidance says illness absence, including mental health illness, should be authorised under Code I. Write to the school, keep medical notes, and ask in writing for Code I coding. Fines and prosecution should not be used where a child is unwell and the family is engaging.

Code I (Illness). Schools should not usually need medical evidence to authorise illness, and should talk to families before recording absence as unauthorised (Code O).

Section 19 of the Education Act 1996 makes the council responsible for arranging suitable education for a child who cannot attend school because of illness. Guidance says this should happen once it's clear a child will miss 15 days or more, consecutive or cumulative.

No. Under the Equality Act 2010 a condition counts as a disability if it has a substantial and long-term effect on daily life. Schools can and should make adjustments while assessments are ongoing.