Toll Bar Primary School

Attendance

Good Attendance is vital if your child is to benefit fully from their education.  Good attendance is promoted each week and awards are presented to children with 100% attendance each term.  We expect all children to achieve at least 96% attendance. 

All absences must be reported to the school before 9am each day and followed up with medical evidence. Medical evidence can be a letter, text, prescription or prescribed medicate with a named label. Where possible, please bring your child to school before and after their appointment.

Attendance is monitored regularly and should your child's attendance become a cause for concern  an Education Penalty Notice (fine) be issued.

We would like to encourage all children to have an attendance figure above 96% and we are here to help support you and your child in achieving this. Therefore, please feel free to contact us for any support that you think you may need.

Further information can be found at:

http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/promoting-good-attendance 

https://www.gov.uk/school-attendance-absence

Helpful information:

• Attendance Advice
• School Attendance Matters

Lateness

The school doors open at 8.30am and registration is at 8.45am.  The gates will close promptly at 8.45am and if you arrive with your child after this time you will have to sign in at the office and a late mark will be given.

If your child arrives to school after registration closes at 9.30am you still need to sign in at the office.  You will be given a U mark that shows as being in school but will not count towards attendance and will mean they have an unauthorised absence.  This is in accordance with Local Authority Regulations and may mean that you could face the possibility of a Penalty Notice if the problem persists.

Further information can be found at:

http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/punctuality

Helpful information:

• Good Punctuality
• A-Z Guide 

Leave of Absence (including Holidays in Term Time)

If you know that your child needs a period of time off school that is not for illness we do need a Leave of Absence form to be completed in line with our attendance policy.  This is a requirement for safeguarding reasons and also means you do not get a phone call from us for every day that your child is absent from school.  You are able to give details of why you are requesting leave in order to explain the reason for absence.  This will be passed to the Head teacher and a decision will be made as to how this will be recorded and you will be notified by letter of this reason.  Please note that if this still appears to look like a holiday and supporting evidence doesnt show otherwise then the school may treat this in the same way as an unauthorised holiday in term time.  

Should you request the leave of absence for a holiday, please note that in line with government legislation no requests for holidays can be authorised except in exceptional circumstances. For School to be able to consider an exceptional circumstances request, a form from the office must be submitted at least four weeks before the proposed holiday. School will inform you of its decision at the earliest possible time.

All holidays will be classed as unauthorised, unless you receive written confirmation otherwise. There are no exceptions.

All holidays that are unauthorised will be referred to the Local Authority for an Education Plenty Notice (fine) to be issued.  The fine will be sent from Doncaster council and is currently £60 per parent per child if paid within the first 21 days of it being received.  If paid between 21-28 days the fine increases to £120 per parent per child.  If the fine is not paid within the specified times then Doncaster council can impose a summons to the magistrates court where the fine may be increased upto £1000.

Further information can be found at:

http://www.doncaster.gov.uk/services/schools/holidays-during-term-time

Helpful Information:

• Holiday Information for Parents