Attendance checklist for schools
Recommended attendance tasks for schools to carry out:
Daily
- Complete AM registers starting with Y5/6 walk to school children
- First day calling - record reasons for absences and select code in the register
- Inform the pupil’s social worker if there are any unexplained absences and if their name is to be deleted from the register
- 1st follow-up text/emails
- Attach copies of evidence to pupil records
- Complete registers PM after lunch break
- 2nd follow-up text/emails
Day 3 of unexplained absence
- Start reasonable enquiry CME Process
- Contact link attendance officer for advice.
- Consider vulnerability of family i.e., SEND, pupil with social worker etc.
- Conduct home visit
All schools should have arrangements in place to undertake their own home visit in line with attendance guidelines - Working together to improve school attendance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Home visits should be conducted as soon as possible after the third day of absence and must be carried out by the tenth day
Weekly
- Follow-up N codes and missing marks within 5 school days
- Process leavers
- Leavers & Joiners Report
- Complete attendance tracker
- Process exceptional leave applications.
- Identify persistent absentees and severe absentees (<50%). Flag to member of SLT for attendance.
- Consider referral via Gateway to Ealing attendance service.
- Meet with Dedicated Attendance Lead
- Celebrate attendance. Rewards, certificates, newsletter, assemblies etc.
4-weekly
- Identify persistent absentees and severe absentees
- Run group reports: SEN, FSM, LAC and Ealing focus groups as identified as part of SLA.
- Ealing focus groups 2023-24: Black Caribbean pupils, Mixed (White & Black Caribbean) pupils, Black Somali pupils and White boys
- Analyse punctuality
Agree actions with dedicated attendance Lead:
- Letter writing (Under 95%, Under 90%, Lates)
- Hold parent meetings.
- Attendance contract
- EHAP
- Consider referral via Gateway to Ealing Attendance Service.
- Make referrals via Gateway for fixed penalty notices for unauthorised leave.
Run official register report
Termly
- Ealing school attendance targeting support meeting (Dedicated attendance lead to attend)
- Attendance network meeting
- Report data to headteacher/ governors
- Communicate attendance statistics ‘in real terms’ to the whole school community.
- Send attendance policy (parent version) to whole school.
- Registers inspected by the named link attendance officer
- High school applications Apply for high school (primary to high school transfer)
- Census School census | Ealing Grid for Learning (egfl.org.uk)
- Autumn Term - Reception non-arrivals Reporting September reception class and year 7 non-arrivals
- Spring Term - Reception applications Apply for primary school (reception class) or infant to junior school transfer
Each academic year
- Populate the tracker with benchmark data at the start of the academic year
- Review whole school ethos
- Review school attendance policy (parent version)
- Complete SLA with school attendance officer
- Set targets and inform school community
- Assign a member of SLT with specific responsibility for attendance
- Assign a Governor with specific responsibility for attendance
- Autumn Term - Reception non-arrivals Reporting September reception class and year 7 non-arrivals | Ealing Grid for Learning (egfl.org.uk)
Further guidance
- Please contact your link attendance officer for further information.
- More information on Attendance | Ealing Grid for Learning (egfl.org.uk)
- More information on Children missing education (CME) | Ealing Grid for Learning (egfl.org.uk)
Important reminders
- Leavers should be processed and followed-up on a rolling basis as quickly as possibly for safeguarding purposes and to maintain school attendance as data cannot be backdated.
- In line with new guidance, N codes should be followed up within 5 days Working together to improve school attendance (publishing.service.gov.uk)
Contact:
- School attendance service: attendance@ealing.gov.uk
Last updated: 01 Sep 2023