Aug 24 Q. The head teacher at my school has agreed with parents an extended staggered start for a Reception pupil for September 2021. The pupil is an August-born child and has never attended an educational setting before. How should I code the sessions in the register when the pupil is not required to attend?

Aug 23 Q. We have started to see more requests for leave of absence in term time. A number of these requests are linked to the Covid-19 pandemic. Reasons include: families have had to rearrange holidays that were previously booked for school holidays but cancelled due to Covid restrictions; extended families wanting to spend time together after prolonged periods of separation due to the Covid-19 restrictions; key workers who were unable to take leave during the previous 12 months. Do we have to un-authorise these absences?

Aug 23 Q. Will we need to continue to complete a daily education status settings return to the DfE in the new academic year?

Mar 03 Q. We have a pupil on roll who is dual registered with another school. It has come to my attention at a recent review meeting that the pupil isn’t attending regularly and has a number of unauthorised absences. At our school, this would trigger our attendance procedures and we would have referred to the local authority for a penalty notice. Is it our responsibility to do this or the other school’s?

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?