A Guide to Reporting Absence and Viewing Attendance on Arbor

 

Outstanding attendance is essential if our pupils are to achieve their full potential. Toynbee School promotes the benefits of excellent attendance and punctuality and we will consistently strive to provide an environment where all pupils feel valued and welcome.  

Children with a good school attendance record are setting themselves up for a better future when they leave school. It is important that pupils have good attendance and are punctual. In order to ensure this, it is important that parents reinforce the school’s expectations. Employers want staff who are reliable, so it is in your interest to make sure that your child has a good school attendance record.

We do understand that absence is sometimes inevitable. All absences must be reported to the school no later than 08:30 each day of absence.

​Authorised Absences from School

Illness

Parents should follow the school's illness procedures and contact the school no later that 08:30am on the first day and each subsequent day that your child is ill. In line with Department for Education guidance, if we do have a genuine concern about the authenticity of the illness, we may ask the parent to provide medical evidence, such as a prescription, appointment card, or other appropriate form of evidence. If the school is not satisfied with the authenticity of the illness, the absence will be recorded as unauthorised.

Medical Appointments 

Parents should try to arrange appointments during school holidays, at weekends or after school hours. Naturally, there will be times when this isn't possible. If a pupil needs to arrive late or leave early for an appointment, parents/carers should use the Parent Portal/Arbor app to notify us in advance. This ensures that staff are aware and that the student can be signed out promptly. We will not release your child without this notification.

Religious Festivals & Absence for Exceptional Circumstances

Requests for leave to participate in sporting events, music exams, attend family funerals, weddings, religious festivals or other planned absences, must be made using the Request for Leave of Absence Form which can be found in the link below. Where possible, the form should be submitted in advance of the leave of absence and a minimum of three school days in advance. Completed forms should be emailed to attendance@toynbee.hants.sch.uk

Casual or holiday absence is not authorised unless the reason for this is an exceptional circumstance. All absences of this nature will be at the discretion of the Headteacher.

Please can I draw your attention to the following guidance from the Department for Education which all schools are required to follow:

“Generally, the DfE does not consider a need or desire for a holiday or other absence for the purpose of leisure and recreation to be an exceptional circumstance”

 Leave of Absence Form

 

Guidance and Support

At Toynbee School we continuously promote the importance of regular attendance and we have in place detailed monitoring systems involving Attendance Manager, Safeguarding Manager, Guidance Managers and a designated member of the Senior Leadership Team.

If your child becomes reluctant to come to school or you need help, please contact your child’s Guidance Manager immediately; we are more likely to be able to work together to solve any problems if we act early.

In almost all cases, our Guidance Managers and Pastoral team are able to provide guidance, support and recommend strategies, that will enable your child to attend school more often.

 

What we will do to monitor and respond to Attendance concerns

If your child’s attendance falls below 90%, you may receive an initial concern letter from us, advising you that their attendance has dropped.

If, following this letter, your child’s attendance continues to deteriorate, you may receive a further letter inviting you to attend a meeting with your child’s Guidance Manager. Occasionally, we may invite parents to attend meetings with us outside of this process and as part of our Attendance Intervention processes.

If your child has long term absence from school, school staff will make every effort to visit you and/or meet with you and your child, at least once every two weeks.

If your child is absent from school for more than 5 school days, consecutive or sporadic, across any 10-week period, and this absence is unauthorised, it may be subject to a Penalty Notice or referral to the Legal Intervention Team Hampshire County Council Code of Conduct - Issuing Penalty Notices for unauthorised absence from school

Legislation and Local Authority guidelines require all schools to thoroughly investigate any suspected cases of unauthorised absence and report the results of these investigations to the appropriate authorities.

 

If you have any queries or concerns relating to your child’s attendance, please do contact their Guidance Manager to discuss. Your child’s attendance can be accesses via the Arbor Parent Portal or Arbor App. Please see the guide linked at the top of this page for a step by step ‘how to’ .