Absence and attendance

Contents

  1. Absence data and expectations
  2. Authorised and unauthorised absence
  3. Recording attendance
  4. Strategies for managing attendance
5 articles
  • Absence data and expectations
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    5 articles
  • Authorised and unauthorised absence
    • Absence and attendance in the sixth form Find out what you need to record in your register for sixth-form students. Learn about setting sanctions and whether you have to inform parents about students' absence.
    • Absence requests for religious observance Make sure you know how to handle requests for absence from both pupils and staff due to religious events. Also, find links to calendars of celebrations so you can keep on top of dates when you might see absence requests.
    • Pupil term-time absence: what you need to know Term-time absences can only be granted in 'exceptional circumstances'. Know what factors you need to consider when deciding whether a circumstance is 'exceptional' and making a judgement around how long the pupil needs to be away from school.
    • Tackling unauthorised absence: fining parents Your school is legally entitled to fine parents if their child has poor attendance. Find out when you can issue a penalty notice and whether you can challenge local authority decisions on penalty notices and prosecutions.
    • Traveller pupils: absence and attendance Understand the legislation around attendance expectations for Traveller pupils, and find advice on when to authorise absence and which absence codes to use.
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    2 articles
  • Recording attendance
    • Attendance register: requirements and guidance Be clear on the rules for registering pupil attendance and absence, so you can make sure your school is compliant. Find guidance on when to close the register, and see what approaches other schools take.
    • Coronavirus: how to record attendance Find out how to record attendance during the pandemic, including which codes you should use and when. Submit the educational setting status form every Thursday.
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    10 articles
  • Strategies for managing attendance
    • Flexi-schooling: guidance Get to grips with flexi-school arrangements. Find out what to consider before agreeing to a request for one and what to include in an agreement with parents.
    • How to improve sixth form attendance and behaviour Get expert advice to help you improve attendance and behaviour in the sixth form. Read a case study to find out how a sixth form improved standards of attendance and behaviour.
    • How to talk to parents about attendance Learn how to approach initial conversations about attendance with parents, and who in your school might be best placed to have them. Use our discussion guide to help build staff confidence around keeping conversations positive and what active listening looks like.
    • Improving attendance: audit and tracking sheets Download our audit and tracking tools to help you identify issues in your school, so you can put targeted strategies in place to improve attendance.
    • Improving attendance: strategies and factsheet (secondary) Find the tools you need to tackle attendance among persistently absent pupils or groups. Use our factsheet to remind parents of their responsibilities and help you embed a whole-school culture of high attendance.
    • Improving the attendance of pupils eligible for the pupil premium Making sure pupils eligible for the pupil premium have high attendance is an important part of the support you can give them. Find out what strategies you can implement to help get them into school.
    • Parenting contracts for poor attendance Get advice on parenting contracts, including when to use them in response to problems with behaviour or attendance, and see examples and guidance from local authorities.
    • Reduced timetables for pupils Get to grips with reduced timetables (also known as part-time timetables). Find out when you can use them and what you need to consider before, during and after you've introduced them.
    • Strategies to improve attendance in primary schools Read guidance on effective strategies for improving primary attendance, including 3 case studies of how different schools successfully tackled this issue.
    • Top tips for improving attendance Use our practical tips to help tackle poor attendance in your school. While these aren't intended to be a quick fix, you can put most of them into practice without overhauling your whole strategy.
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