School Attendance A Guide for Schools Across Leicestershire

Transcription

1 School Attendance A Guide for Schools Across Leicestershire September

2 CONTENTS Background About this advice 3 Who is this advice for? 3 Pupils Missing out on Education 4 Full Time Education 4 Advice on Pupil Registers School Year & School Day 5 School Attendance 5 Expected First day of Attendance 5 Amendments to the Attendance Register 5 Preservation of the Attendance Register 6 Contents of Attendance Register 6 Children Missing Education 6 Elective Home Education 7 Advice on Absence and Attendance Codes Present at School 8 Present in School During Registration 8 Present at an Approved Off-Site Educational Activity 8-9 Authorised Absence from School Unauthorised Absence from School 11 Administrative Codes 12 Alternative Provision Alternative Provision FAQs Frequently Asked Questions

3 Background About this advice This advice has been produced as part of Leicestershire County Council s strategic work around Pupils Missing out on Education and in response to requests for assistance with the accurate coding of school registers, whilst maintaining high levels of school attendance. Colleagues from schools across the county have actively engaged with officers and shared case studies, some of which have been used in this guidance. Who is this advice for? This advice is for: All school staff, including head teachers & governors Independent schools Attendance officers Behaviour Partnerships Alternative provision providers Pupils Missing out on Education (PME) In November 2013, Ofsted published a report entitled Pupils Missing out on Education. This report defines PME as pupils who are not accessing full-time education, including pupils who are accessing alternative provision away from their home school. The Home school is the school where the pupil is on roll. The report made a series of recommendations for all schools, including: with immediate effect, stop unlawful exclusions and provide suitable support for children and young people with behavioural difficulties establish clear accountability for the achievement, safety and personal development of all children and young people who are on the school roll but not accessing school in the usual way, and for the quality and amount of provision made for them inform the local authority of any part-time education arrangements, regardless of the type of school keep children and young people on the school roll during periods of illness or custody (or for as long as it is relevant), in line with Government policy and guidance respond quickly to any early signs of children and young people s raised anxiety or dips in their progress, attendance or engagement in learning give governors sufficient information about children and young people who are not accessing school in the usual way, so that governors can challenge the amount of provision being made and evaluate its effectiveness 3

4 Ofsted will ask (as part of its Inspection of local authority services for children in need of help and protection, children looked after and care leavers and review of the Local Safeguarding Children Board) for a report on pupils for whom the local authority is responsible who are of statutory school age and who are not in receipt of fulltime school education at the time of the inspection. Full Time Education In September 2011, the Local Government Ombudsman published a report entitled Out of School.out of Mind? The report indicates the number of teaching hours that constitutes a full-time education varies according to the year a child is in. The assumptions schools work on are set out below: School Year Key Stage Age Taught Hours Reception Year 1 Key Stage1 5 to 7 21 hours Year 2 Year 3 Year 4 Year 5 Key Stage 2 7 to hours Year 6 Year 7 Year 8 Key Stage 3 11 to hours Year 9 Year 10 Year 11 Key Stage 4 15 & hours 4

5 Advice on Pupil Registers Leicestershire County Council School Year Schools must meet for at least 190 days during any school year to educate the pupils on their roll. If a school is prevented from meeting for one or more sessions because of an unavoidable event, it should find a practical way of holding extra sessions. If it cannot find a practical way of doing this then it is not required to make up the lost sessions. School Day Every school day must have two sessions divided by a break. The length of each session, break and the school day is determined by the school s governing body. The governing body has the power to revise the length of the school day as it sees fit. There is no requirement to consult parents on revisions to the school day but it can be helpful to do so. School Attendance Pupils need to attend school regularly to benefit from their education. Missing out on lessons leaves children vulnerable to falling behind. Children with poor attendance tend to achieve less in both primary and secondary school. The local authority expects all schools to: promote good attendance reduce absence ensure every pupil has access to full-time education to which they are entitled act early to address patterns of absence ensure every pupil is punctual to their lessons Expected First Day of Attendance Schools must enter pupils on the admission register and attendance register from the beginning of the first day on which the school has agreed, or been notified, that the pupil will attend the school. For most pupils the expected first day of attendance is the first day of the school year. If a pupil fails to attend on the agreed or notified date, the school must establish the reason for the absence and mark the attendance register accordingly. Amendments to the Attendance Register Every amendment made to the attendance register must include: the original entry the amended entry the reason for the amendment the date on which the amendment was made, and the name and position of the person who made the amendment 5

6 Preservation of the Attendance Register Every entry in the attendance register must be preserved for a period of three years after the date on which the entry was made. Contents of Attendance Register Schools must take the attendance register at the start of the first session of each school day and once during the second session On each occasion they must record whether every pupil is: Present Attending an approved educational activity Absent, or Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances. The school should follow up any absences to: Ascertain the reason Ensure proper safeguarding action is taken Identify whether the absence is approved or not, and Identify the correct code to use before entering it on to the school s electronic register, or management information system which is used to download data to the School Census Children Missing Education (CME) All schools must inform the local authority of any pupil who is going to be deleted from the school roll where they: Have been taken out of school and are being educated outside the school system e.g. electively home educated (EHE) Have ceased to attend school Have a medical condition certified by the school medical officer that the pupil is unlikely to be in a fit state of health to attend school Are in custody for a period of more than four months due to a final court order & the school does not reasonably believe they will be returning at the end of that period, or Have been permanently excluded The local authority should be notified in advance of the deletion, when the school becomes aware that the deletion will be made. All schools must inform the local authority of any pupil who fails to attend school regularly, or has been absent without the school s permission for a continuous period of 10 days or 6

7 more. Local authorities have a duty to put in place arrangements for identifying (as far as it is possible) those children of compulsory school age in their area that are not on a school roll or receiving education otherwise than at a school. Local authorities should trace those children and ensure that they receive full-time education. ce Elective Home Education (EHE) Parents may choose to educate their child at home for a variety of reasons. The following reasons for elective home education are common, but by no means exhaustive: distance or access to a local school religious or cultural beliefs philosophical or ideological views dissatisfaction with the system bullying as a short term intervention for a particular reason a child's unwillingness or inability to go to school special educational needs parents' desire for a closer relationship with their children. Parents have a right to educate their children at home. Section 7 of the Education Act 1996 provides that: The parent of every child of compulsory school age shall cause him to receive efficient full-time education suitable to his age, ability and aptitude, and to any special educational needs he may have, either by regular attendance at school or otherwise. On receipt of written notification to electively home educate, schools must inform the local authority that the pupil is to be deleted from the school roll. Schools or Attendance Officers should not seek to persuade parents to educate their children at home as a way of avoiding exclusion or because the pupil has a poor attendance record. Schools should not seek to prevent parents from educating their children outside the school system. There is no requirement for parents to obtain the school or local authority s agreement to educate their child at home. Parents have a duty to ensure their child of compulsory school age receives suitable full time education but this does not have to be at a school. pupil_services/elective_home_education 7

8 Advice on Absence and Attendance Codes Leicestershire County Council The national codes enable schools to record and monitor attendance and absence in a consistent way which complies with the regulations. They are also used for collecting statistics through the School Census System. The data helps schools, local authorities and the Government to gain a greater understanding of the level of, and the reasons for, absence. Present at School Pupils must not be marked present if they were not in school during registration. If a pupil were to leave the school premises after registration they would still be counted as present for statistical purposes Code / \ Code / Code \ Present in school all day Present in the morning Present in the afternoon Present in School During Registration Code L Late arrival before the register has closed Schools should have a policy on how long their registers should be kept open; this should be for a reasonable length of time but not that registers are to be kept open for the whole session. A pupil arriving after the register has closed should be marked absent with Code U, or with another absence code if that is more appropriate Present at an Approved Off-Site Educational Activity An approved educational activity is where a pupil is taking part in supervised educational activity such as field trips, educational visits, work experience or alternative provision. Pupils can only be recorded as receiving off-site educational activity if the activity meets the requirements prescribed in regulation 6(4) of the Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations The activity must be of an educational nature approved by the school and supervised by someone authorised by the school. The activity must take place during the session for which the mark is recorded. Code B Off-site educational activity This code should be used when pupils are present at an off-site educational activity that has been approved by the school. Ultimately schools are responsible for the safeguarding and welfare of pupils educated off-site. Therefore by using code B, schools are certifying that the education is supervised and measures have been taken to safeguard pupils. This code should not be used for any 8

9 unsupervised educational activity or where a pupil is at home doing school work. Schools should ensure that they have in place arrangements whereby the provider of the alternative activity notifies the school of any absences by individual pupils. The school should record the pupil s absence using the relevant absence code. Consortia Schools Pupils attending consortia schools as part of their course only need to be placed on the registers of their main school rather than on all of the schools they attend. They should be treated as guest pupils at the other consortia schools. The consortia schools however, must ensure they have suitable systems in place for monitoring and reporting the attendance and absence of the pupils involved, which must be shared with the home school. Code D Code J Code P Code V Code W Dual Registered - at another educational establishment This code is not counted as a possible attendance in the School Census. The law allows for dual registration of pupils at more than one school. This code is used to indicate that the pupil was not expected to attend the session in question because they were scheduled to attend the other school at which they are registered. The main examples of dual registration are pupils who are attending a pupil referral unit, a hospital school or a special school on a temporary basis. It can also be used for Gypsy, Roma and Traveller children, but only when the pupil is known to be registered at another school during the session in question. Each school should only record the pupil s attendance and absence for those sessions that the pupil is scheduled to attend their school. Schools should ensure that they have in place arrangements whereby all unexplained and unexpected absence is followed up in a timely manner. At an interview with prospective employers, or another educational establishment This code should be used to record time spent in interviews with prospective employers or another educational establishment. Schools should be satisfied that the interview is linked to employment prospects, further education or transfer to another educational establishment. Participating in a supervised sporting activity This code should be used to record the sessions when a pupil is taking part in a sporting activity that has been approved by the school and supervised by someone authorised by the school. Educational visit or trip This code should be used for attendance at an organised trip or visit, including residential trips organised by the school, or attendance at a supervised trip of a strictly educational nature arranged by an organisation approved by the school. Work experience Work experience is for pupils in the final two years of compulsory education. Schools should ensure that they have in place arrangements whereby the work experience placement provider notifies the school of any absences by individual pupils. Any absence should be recorded using the relevant code. 9

10 Authorised Absence from School Authorised absence means that the school has either given approval in advance for a pupil of compulsory school age to be away, or has accepted an explanation offered afterwards as justification for absence. Code C Code E Code H Code I Code M Code R Leave of absence authorised by the school Only exceptional circumstances warrant an authorised leave of absence. Schools should consider each request individually taking into account the circumstances, such as: the nature of the event for which leave is sought; the frequency of the request; whether the parent gave advance notice; and the pupil s attainment, attendance and ability to catch up on missed schooling. C code should be used for pupils given permission to take part in a licensed performance. Excluded but no alternative provision made If no alternative provision is made for a pupil to continue their education whilst they are excluded but still on the admission register, they should be marked absent in the attendance register using Code E. Alternative provision must be arranged for each excluded pupil from the sixth day of any fixed period or permanent exclusion. Where alternative provision is made they should be marked using the appropriate attendance code. Holiday authorised by the school Head teachers should not grant leave of absence unless in exceptional circumstances. The application must be made in advance and the head teacher must be satisfied that there are exceptional circumstances which warrant the leave. Where a leave of absence is granted, the head teacher will determine the number of days a pupil can be away from school. A leave of absence is granted entirely at the head teacher s discretion. Illness (not medical or dental appointments) Schools should advise parents to notify them on the first day the child is unable to attend due to illness. Schools should authorise absences due to illness unless they have a genuine cause for concern about the legitimacy of an illness. If the authenticity of illness is in doubt, schools can request parents to provide medical evidence to support illness. Schools can record the absence as unauthorised if not satisfied of the authenticity of the illness but should advise parents of their intention. Schools are advised not to request medical evidence unnecessarily. Medical evidence can take the form of prescriptions, appointment cards, etc. rather than doctors notes. Medical or dental appointments Missing registration for a medical or dental appointment is counted as an authorised absence. Schools should, however, encourage parents to make appointments out of school hours. Where this is not possible, the pupil should only be out of school for the minimum amount of time necessary for the appointment. Religious observance Schools must treat absence as authorised when it is due to religious observance. The day must be exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the parents belong. Where necessary, schools should seek advice from the parents religious body about whether it has set the day apart for religious observance. 10

11 Code S Code T Study leave Schools must record study leave as authorised absence. Study leave should be used sparingly and only granted to Year 11 pupils during public examinations. Provision should still be made available for those pupils who want to continue to come into school to revise. Gypsy, Roma and Traveller absence A number of different groups are covered by the generic term Traveller Roma, English and Welsh Gypsies, Irish and Scottish Travellers, Showmen (fairground people) and Circus people, Bargees (occupational boat dwellers) and New Travellers. This code should be used when Traveller families are known to be travelling for occupational purposes and have agreed this with the school but it is not known whether the pupil is attending educational provision. It should not be used for any other types of absence by these groups. To help ensure continuity of education for Traveller children it is expected that the child should attend school elsewhere when their family is travelling and be dual registered at that school and the main school. Children from these groups whose families do not travel are expected to register at a school and attend as normal. They are subject to the same rules as other children in terms of the requirement to attend school regularly once registered at school. Unauthorised Absence from School Unauthorised absence is where a school is not satisfied with the reasons given for the absence. Code G Code N Code O Code U Holiday not authorised by the school or in excess of the period determined by the head teacher If a school does not authorise a leave of absence for the purpose of a holiday but the parents still take the child out of school, or the child is kept away for longer than was agreed, the absence is unauthorised. The regulations do not allow schools to give 11 retrospective approval. If the parents did not apply for leave of absence in advance, the absence must be recorded as unauthorised. Reason for absence not yet provided Schools should follow up all unexplained and unexpected absences in a timely manner. Every effort should be made to establish the reason for a pupil s absence. When the reason for the pupil s absence has been established the register should be amended. This code should not be left on a pupil s attendance record indefinitely; if no reason for absence is provided after a reasonable amount of time it should be replaced with code O (absent from school without authorisation). Absent from school without authorisation If the school is not satisfied with the reason given for absence they should record it as unauthorised. Arrived in school after registration closed Schools should actively discourage late arrival, be alert to patterns of late arrival and seek an explanation from the parent. 11

12 Administrative Codes Code X Not required to be in school (not counted as a possible attendance in the School Census) This code is used to record sessions that non-compulsory school age children are not expected to attend. Code Y Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances (not counted as a possible attendance in the School Census) This code can be used where a pupil is unable to attend because: The school site, or part of it, is closed due to an unavoidable cause; or The transport provided by the school or a local authority is not available and where the pupil s home is not within walking distance; or A local or national emergency has resulted in widespread disruption to travel which has prevented the pupil from attending school. This code can also be used where a pupil is unable to attend because: The pupil is in custody; detained for a period of less than four months. If the school has evidence from the place of custody that the pupil is attending educational activities then they can record those sessions as code B (present at approved educational activity). Code Z Pupil not on admission register (This code is collected in the School Census for statistical purposes) This code is available to enable schools to set up registers in advance of pupils joining the school to ease administration burdens. Schools must put pupils on the admission register from the first day that the school has agreed, or been notified, that the pupil will attend the school. Code # Planned whole or partial school closure This code should be used for whole or partial school closures that are known or planned in advance such as: between terms; half terms; occasional days (for example, bank holidays); weekends (where it is required by the management information system); up to five non-educational days to be used for curriculum planning/training; and use of schools as polling stations. Different Term Dates for Different Pupils Schools and local authorities can agree to set different term dates for different year groups e.g. for staggered starts or induction days. Code # can be used to record the year group(s) that is not due to attend. This is only acceptable where the school ensures that those pupils not attending on that day are still offered a full education over the school year. 12

13 Alternative Provision For secondary aged pupils, Behaviour Partnerships have devolved resources to provide alternative education programmes for pupils who for a number of reasons, are unable to attend mainstream school. Leicestershire County Council s Fair Access Protocol provides further information regarding alternative provision within the county. In Leicestershire, Behaviour Partnerships operate the protocol on a daily basis for secondary aged pupils. Schools/academies work together collaboratively, taking into account the needs of the child and those of the school/academy. Secondary Behaviour Partnerships use a combination of pooled and devolved resources to provide alternative programmes and inschool support to meet the needs of all vulnerable and challenging children, including those not ready for mainstream education. Primary schools use combination of pooled and delegated funding to make the same provision. In July 2014, OfSTED published a report entitled Alternative Provision. Alternative provision can be defined as something in which a young person participates as part of their regular timetable, away from the site of the school or the pupil referral unit where they are enrolled, and not led by school staff. Schools can use such provision to try to prevent exclusions, or to re-engage students in their education. The report analysed what made some alternative provision successful for pupils and commented on a range of weaknesses that inspectors had found during their visits. Some of the best practice seen was when schools and the local authority worked in partnership, as illustrated below. In one school, placements were checked by the local authority s alternative curriculum team as part of a service level agreement. Documentation showed that these checks were thorough and comprehensive. This was confirmed by the placements leaders during the inspector s visits. The school s deputy head teacher also visited all providers annually to look at safeguarding, health and safety, qualifications of staff, suitability of the environment and accommodation. This ensured that the school built on the local authority s information but took full responsibility for sending their students to suitable placements. Competition in the alternative provision market in the area meant that providers were keen to reach and maintain high standards in order to keep (and expand) their business. The school had rejected a provider in the past. School s monitoring and evaluation were best where the school had: One school s highly detailed systems for tracking and monitoring students attitudes and behaviour allowed it to intervene early and to prevent problems from escalating. Weekly reports from providers gave detailed summative accounts of pupils weekly attendance, their attitudes to learning and their progress towards academic and placement-specific 13

14 targets. This information was discussed by academic and pastoral managers and action was taken where needed. The system also allowed the school to be aware of positive attitudes and progress and to praise and encourage the student accordingly. Finally, it allowed staff to inform parents and carers how their child was progressing. The following case study illustrates the careful way in which another school matched courses to students needs, then carefully monitored and tracked students progress to ensure the best outcomes. The school fully recognised that their students who needed alternative provision to help them to re-engage had a range of academic abilities, so accreditation offered through the placements ranged from Entry Level to Level 2. The school used value-added data to set the targets in all subjects and courses involved in alternative placements. They set up a tracking grid within the school s own tracking system which enabled the student s progress to be tracked towards the target grade in the same way that it was done in any other subject. Providers carried out assessments once a term and ed the results to the school, which transferred the data to its tracking grid. By doing this, the school was able to track the progress of each student towards the target grade in every subject (including those on alternative placements) and could easily see if the student was on track, ahead or falling behind. When students were not making enough progress on their alternative provision courses, a number of interventions could take place in order to help them catch up: meetings between school staff and the provider reviewing the nature and effectiveness of support from teaching assistants providing additional support providing catch-up sessions supported by members of school staff The impact of the alternative provision and this close monitoring was very evident. In 2012 every student who attended alternative provision placements went on to further education, employment or training. A considerable number gained apprenticeships in their chosen subject. In the best examples, planning for the future was something that was discussed with students before the placement even began, as illustrated below. In this school, very clear pathways were evident. The planning of programmes was strong, starting with a student s application for a place and production of a portfolio on the vocational area selected, and was supported with careers action plans. There was a high rate of progression into college courses and apprenticeships. Students themselves were clear about their progression pathways. Early in the school year one Year 11 hair and beauty student had already gained an apprenticeship with a 14

15 hairdresser, and other students had interviews arranged. Leicestershire County Council Another school provided two good examples of students who had previously been very disengaged from school showing successful progression. One Year 11 girl was expected to gain four GCSEs and was using these plus her alternative provision outcomes to progress to a travel and tourism course at college; her place was already secured when the school was visited. A Year 11 boy from the same school was expected to gain four GCSEs at grade C. He had completed a work experience placement with a plumber in addition to his alternative provision placement and had secured a place at college linked to a plumbing apprenticeship. Liaison between providers, schools and colleges formed an important part of ensuring that progression routes for students were clear from the outset, as illustrated below. The City & Guilds courses that students studied through their alternative provision were followed as preparation for a college-based course and/or part of an apprenticeship programme. The local college offered progression routes for students who had already followed a Level 1 City & Guilds course in a range of disciplines. The off-site providers demonstrated a good knowledge of local post-16 opportunities. As part of the development of provision in Leicestershire, there is an intention to publish further case studies. 15

16 Frequently Asked Questions Leicestershire County Council Can a school place a pupil on a part-time timetable? As a rule, no. All pupils of compulsory school age are entitled to a full-time education. In very exceptional circumstances there may be a need for a temporary part-time timetable to meet a pupil s individual needs. For example where a medical condition prevents a pupil from attending full-time education and a part-time timetable is considered as part of a re-integration package. A part-time timetable must not be treated as a long-term solution. Any pastoral support programme or other agreement must have a time limit by which point the pupil is expected to attend fulltime or be provided with alternative provision. In agreeing to a part-time timetable a school has agreed to a pupil being absent from school for part of the week or day and therefore must record it as authorised absence. Are pupils entitled to study leave? No. Study leave should not be granted by default once tuition of the exam syllabus is complete, and study leave should only ever be granted to pupils in year 11. If schools do decide to grant study leave, provision should still be made available for those pupils who want to continue to come into school to revise. All pupils are different and have different requirements and preferences when preparing for examinations. Some schools do seek alternatives to study leave as they recognise that some pupils do not have the skills, or are not inclined, to make the best use of unsupervised and unstructured revision time. However, many schools also recognise that study leave is a chance for pupils to develop their independent study which will help them when they move to post-16 provision, where a self-study approach is commonly used. How should schools record the attendance of pupils on study leave? Y11 pupils granted study leave should be marked on the attendance register as authorised absence using code S. No other attendance code is suitable for the purpose of study leave. Y11 pupils who are 16 years old are of compulsory school age (up to the last Friday in June) and must be marked on the attendance register accordingly. 16

17 Can a parent take their child on holiday during term time? As of the 1st September 2013, Head teachers will no longer be able to grant any leave of absence for family holidays, unless there are exceptional circumstances which support the request being made. Where a family chooses to take a holiday during term time without the Head teacher s written permission, the absences will be coded as unauthorised. In such circumstances, Head teachers may request that the local authority issues a Penalty Notice (to each parent). When a Penalty Notice is issued in relation to an unauthorised family holiday during term time, the fine will be 60 payable within 21 days, rising to 120 payable between days 28 and 42. Failure to make payment in full, within the stipulated time period, will result in cases being placed before the Magistrates Court under section 444(1) Education Act

18 If you have any queries in relation to this document, please contact: JoAnne Rees School Appeals and Pupil Services Manager School Admissions and Pupil Services County Hall Glenfield Leicester LE3 8RF