Student Attendance Policy & Procedures

Transcription

1 Student Attendance Policy & Procedures Document Status Author Faculty Directors Date of origin January 2015 Version March 2015 Review requirement Annually Date of next review March 2016 Approval Body Faculty Directors Publication Staff and Student Intranet This policy and procedure is subject to The Equality Act 2010 which recognises the following categories of individual as Protected Characteristics: Age, Gender Reassignment, Marriage and Civil Partnership, Pregnancy and Maternity, Race, Religion and Belief, Sex (gender), Sexual orientation, Disability.

2 Policy Statement Attendance refers to the scheduled time spent on college programmes. This can be categorised as including theory sessions, practical activities, workshops, work related activity, tutorials, induction activity, revision activity, visits, exams, and English & maths sessions. Regular and consistently high attendance of 100% is expected. High levels of attendance are critical to students achieving a successful outcome at college and securing meaningful employment once they have gained their qualification.. Attendance will be fully monitored throughout a student s period of study and appropriate action taken should a student be absent. Each case of absenteeism is different and will be treated individually and the College accepts that many causes of absenteeism exist. However, all students at Milton Keynes College are expected to conform to workplace expectations in respect of their attendance and as such their attendance will be measured as it would be in the workplace. SCOPE This policy applies to all students 1 undertaking a course of further or higher education and applies to all groups of students both full and part time and including 14-16, work based learning, apprentices, HE and campus based students. Responsibilities 1. All students are expected to attend all timetabled sessions which including theory sessions, practical activities, workshops, work related activity, tutorials, induction activity, revision activity, visits, exams, and English & maths sessions. 2. Students are expected to have a 100% attendance record. Should attendance fall below this level appropriate action, including disciplinary action may be taken. 3. Poor attendance can be one of the main signs of disengagement with the student s programme of study and the College will support the student to re-engage or find an alternative route to further study or employment. 4. Personal tutors and Programme Managers are responsible for monitoring student attendance (see attached flow chart appendix 1) and for advising students when their attendance has fallen below the required levels and what action is being taken

3 5. The Faculty Deputy Director is responsible for checking the attendance and authorising the withdrawal of any student due to non-attendance 6. The Faculty Director monitors through reports from Data & Analysis team. Procedures 1. Should a student be too unwell to attend college, they are expected to report their absence on the day and all subsequent days through the absence hotline. If a student does not report their absence and their whereabouts is unknown an absence hotline clerk will contact the student by text. 2. Students who are expecting to have prolonged illness should contact their personal tutor to discuss the possibility of an alternative study arrangement. Although the absence may be accepted as authorised it will be included in any review of the student s performance and could impact on their success and continued place on their chosen course. 3. Attendance will be discussed with students at all their one to one review meetings with their personal tutor. All discussions and action points will be recorded using ProMonitor. 4. There may be exceptional circumstances where a student cannot attend. In these circumstances the Lecturer is expected to make a professional judgement on whether or not an attendance mark is given (e.g in the event of a late arrival due to weather conditions) or for an absence approved in advance. This judgement should also consider whether equality issues have any bearing on student attendance levels. Examples may include attendance at recognised religious events or festivals. However all authorised absence will be included (negatively) within a student s attendance total and will form part of one to one discussions when considering a student s progress on their course of study. 5. Completion of registers, student transfer forms, withdrawal forms and exit interviews remain the responsibility of the faculty teams (see flow chart, Appendix 2) 6. If a student has had four consecutive weeks of non-attendance then they must be withdrawn (after discussion with parents if they are under 18) in line with the funding regulations. The Faculty Director is responsible for authorising the withdrawal. Monitoring The Senior Leadership Team will monitor the operation of this policy. Data relating to attendance will be circulated weekly to the Senior Leadership Team and Deputy Directors which will be discussed at the weekly scrutiny meetings

4 Flow chart of absence hotline process: Student calls/texts/ s absence hotline Appendix 1 Student is absent and does not contact the absence hotline Automated sent to Programme Managers identifying students that have had two or more non attendances in the week Programme Manager forwards this to the Personal Tutor Absence Clerk will record this live onto pro-solution The data analysis team upload the comments from prosolution onto pro - monitor (weekly) Personal tutors follow up with students and action appropriately Student responds to text The Absence Clerk sends the learner a text message asking them to contact the absence hotline as soon as possible If the Student does not contact the Absence Hotline, the Absence Clerk puts a note onto pro-solution identifying that the student is absent and has made no contact Colour Code Actions are recorded onto pro monitor with the Programme Manager included Absence Clerk Data Analysis Programme Manager Personal Tutor

5 Appendix 2