Attendance tasks 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.
• Keep social worker informed
• Conduct home visit

All schools should have arrangements in place to undertake their own home visit in line with attendance guidelines - Working together 2024: home visits DfE
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 - Inform us of any leavers before pupils are taken off roll. Schools should use the Gateway portal to do this.
• Leavers and 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 senior attendance champion
• 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
  This can be run is SIMS by following the instructions below: Reports/Attendance/Whole Group Pupil Reports/Official Register Report. (3) The proprietor of a school must ensure that a register kept under paragraph (1) or (2) is kept electronically and that a back-up copy of that register is made at least once a month in the form of an electronic or printed copy. The School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024 (legislation.gov.uk)

Termly

• Ealing school attendance targeting support meeting (senior attendace champion 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, if relevant
• 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)