Nov 15 Q. We were expecting a child in reception to start on 4 September but when they did not arrive, we contacted the parents and they informed us that, as their child isn’t yet five, they are not taking up the place. The child is five in February, so how should we code their absence?

Nov 13 Q. A Traveller family moved to a different area earlier in March. They have no set plan to come back as they ‘want to see what happens with the virus’. Mum is saying that she has a temporary school place for her children in their vicinity and wants them dual registered. She has said that the school should be using the ‘T’ code as her extended family is working in the area. Is this correct or should the school expect that the children take up their places by a set date and then remove them from roll?

Nov 13 Q. I have read the new Attendance Guidance and Annexe from the DfE and I am confused as to why a pupil has an ‘X’ code (which isn’t an absence) when they have symptoms and are awaiting a Covid-19 test, but when they have a confirmed positive test they are marked as an ‘I’ code (which is an absence).

Aug 30 Form – The My Three Houses™ tool

Aug 29 Q. We have had an enquiry from a Year 9 pupil’s parent asking whether the young person can do extra hours at their part-time job whilst unable to attend school (as they are not in an eligible year group).

Jun 01 Q. How should we mark our register in a period of enforced closure such as the current Covid-19 outbreak?

Jun 01 Q. What do we code a child who attends school but has to go home due to his ADHD behaviours? We also have other students who can’t cope with attending school all day due to their mental health and need to be sent home. Should we use the ‘C’ code for these students or should we code them as ‘I’ for illness?

Jun 01 Q. I’m hoping you can help me. My daughter is competing in an international cheerleading competition in June. She needs three days off from school. This will be after her SATs. The school is only allowing exceptional circumstances for leave. If this leave were to be granted, could she be marked down as educated off-site? As she is training and performing it’s harder than a P.E lesson. I also know that other children who were taking part in a pantomime were marked down as this.

Apr 03 Q. We have a student on roll who has been remanded in custody in a youth offending institution (YOI). Should we remove him from the school roll?

Apr 03 Q. On the advice of Public Health England, we recently had to close the school for two days for a deep clean following an outbreak of Norovirus. During the period before and after the school closure, attendance was poor due to the number of children who were absent due to illness. How do we evidence this when reporting to the governors?