Q. Could you please confirm what the guidance is around the use of the traveller absence code (T). Is there a set number of sessions which this can be used for?
A. There is an absence code (T) which, in specific circumstances, can be used to…
Browsing: Registers and codes
Q. We have a pupil who is going to be dual registered at an alternative resource provision (ARP) at another school for three days a week. For the other two days a week he will attend at our school as usual. How do we code the register and what checks for attendance do we need to make?
A. If a child or young person has been interviewed by the police and this…
Q. Since we returned to school and the new rules have applied to children regarding self-isolation, we have had a couple of occasions where parents have refused to get PCR tests for children with symptoms. How do we record this absence and when can they return to school?
A. The guidance for everyone, including school pupils, is that if they have symptoms of…
Q. There are a number of online learning providers offering distance learning to schools as ways of preventing exclusions or as part of re-integration packages. Schools have suggested that they have been informed by those providers and by some Ofsted inspectors that they can mark the school register as ‘B’ for those sessions provided by online learners. Could you clarify if this is an acceptable mark, bearing in mind the DfE guidance that says pupils should not be marked ‘B’ where pupils are at home doing school work?
A. The current legal regulations that govern the marking of the attendance register relate to…
Q. I have four pupils on the school roll who travelled abroad in December and have not returned. How do I code their absence, or can I remove them from roll?
A. There are two elements to this question. One relates to the coding of a…
Q. I am confused about the coding of Covid-related absence as there are additional codes in our IT system that are not in the DfE attendance guidance. The attendance guidance refers to the use of the ‘X’ code for Covid-19-related absence, and the ‘I’ code for positive cases.
A. The attendance guidance and addendum explain that there has been a temporary amendment to…
Handout – School guidance for staff on keeping pupil attendance registers
To download the document click on the link: Handout – School guidance for staff on…
Q. As a special school, most of our pupils travel to school in transport provided by the local authority. There have been a number of incidents this half term where the transport hasn’t been available due to staffing levels linked to Covid-19. How would we code this absence?
A. The ‘X’ code is used for Covid-19-related absences – this is when a child…
Q. How should a child’s absence be marked if the school does not have confirmation of the child’s whereabouts?
A. If you did not have confirmation of the child’s whereabouts, this scenario would be…
Q. I am an attendance officer for a school in Manchester. A Year 8 pupil’s family has relocated to Birmingham. This was a planned move and they have provided their new address and new school details. They have been in touch to advise that, whilst the move has gone ahead, the new school has been unable to offer a start date as there have been delays in the admissions process, due to the Covid-19 outbreak. Therefore, their child cannot start school until September. How should I mark the child’s absence?
A. There are a couple of issues to explore here which demonstrate the complexities of…