Attendance

All children have a right to access a full education and attendance in school every day is crucial to their learning.

Parents do have a legal duty to ensure children attend school every day wherever possible and that they are on time and remain in school for the full day to access their education. School has a statutory responsibility to uphold this expectation and to have systems in place to monitor the attendance of all pupils. 

Our ambition is to achieve 100% attendance with a minimum aim for all children to have at least 96% attendance and achieve an attendance award at the end of the year. Parents and carers should be aware that the attendance percentage is not the only indicator of concerning attendance. Frequent lateness and absence patterns may also highlight a problem.

School is following the Doncaster Local Authority attendance procedures and work closely with Early Help services. School are able to make referrals for support where attendance is concerning and will talk to you if they feel that an Early Help referral would be useful.

Every school day matters as the below illustrates:

  • 98% attendance = 4 school days missed

  • 95% attendance = 10 school days missed (2 weeks)

  • 90% attendance = 20 school days missed (4 weeks)

  • 85% attendance = 30 school days missed (6 weeks)

  • 80% attendance = 38 school days missed (8 weeks)

  • Five minutes late each day = 3 days missed each year

 

Absence

If your child is too ill to come to school, parents must contact school on the first day of absence. The best way to do this is to call the school office and/or leave a voicemail message.

If school have not heard anything from a parent/carer, office staff will make attempts to call the parent, or the emergency contacts for the child, to obtain a reason for absence.

If we are unable to contact a parent/carer, then a referral may be made to the Doncaster Safeguarding team. For this reason, it is vital that parents/carers contact school on a child’s first day of absence.

Below are some circumstances where absence will be authorised:

  • When a child has a temperature

  • Sickness and diarrhoea related absence will be authorised for 24 hours after the symptoms have ended. Please contact school each day regarding your child’s illness.

  • When a child is reported as ill, the first 2 days will be authorised. Beyond this, medical evidence will be required.

 

Below are some circumstances where absence will be unauthorised:

  • Holidays taken in term time will not be authorised, other than where there are exceptional circumstances. Parents and carers should be aware that exceptional circumstances are very limited.

  • For minor illnesses (e.g. a sore throat, ear ache etc)

  • Where absence due to illness continues beyond 2 days with no medical evidence provided.

  • Where children arrive at school after 9.15am. This will result in an unauthorised absence unless there are exceptional circumstances discussed with school staff.

  • When children are absent from school for medical conditions which they are not required to be absent for and where parents have not sought treatment from a pharmacist or G.P. There are some misconceptions regarding a requirement to keep children away from school for certain illnesses. These include conjunctivitis and head lice. School expects that where children are affected with these conditions, advice and treatment is obtained through a pharmacist and that children are treated straight away and are brought to school.

  • When children are collected early from school without evidence of an appointment or exceptional circumstance meaning they need to leave early. Medical appointments should be made outside the school day wherever possible.

 

Parents and carers are able to keep up to date with their child’s attendance through the Arbor app. Please speak to office staff if you are not yet using this facility.

If you have any questions about the school’s policy on attendance then please get in touch.

Please see documents below for further information.

Attendance Policy

Should my child go to school? Online checker

You may also like to visit the following website for further information: https://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/promoting-good-attendance