Attendance and Pupil Welfare Service

The Attendance and Pupil Welfare Service work with schools, parents and carers, pupils and other agencies to help reduce unnecessary absences from school.

Parents are responsible for making sure that their children of compulsory school age receive a suitable full-time education. This can be by regular attendance at school, at alternative provision, or otherwise (e.g. the parent can choose to educate their child at home).

The majority of pupils attend school regularly and find it an enjoyable experience. However, some pupils may face attendance difficulties for a variety of reasons. Parents and carers seeking support and guidance around attendance should always in the first instance contact the child's school. Good communication between families and schools can support with the identifying of issues early on. Families and schools should work together to address any concerns and schools should assist with ensuring barriers to attendance are removed, ensuring good attendance in the future.

Doncaster City Council will use legislation to enforce attendance at school where parents do not fulfil their duty to ensure their children attend school regularly. This may lead to legal sanctions. A parent or carer can also be issued with a Fixed Penalty Notice for any absence not authorised by the school, which includes taking a family holiday during term time.

Responsibilities

The responsibilities of the Attendance & Pupil Welfare Service are as follows:

1. Ensure all children in Doncaster receive a full-time education suitable to their age, ability and aptitude, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. The service will ensure children attend school regularly by promotion, casework, initiatives and where necessary, legal interventions. See links below:

2. Identify Children Missing Education and work with schools and other local authorities to re-engage these children. See link below: