Working together to improve school attendance
The Department for Education admissions guidance (PDF, 606KB) became statutory on 19 August 2024.
The summarised changes are listed below.
New requirements on keeping and sharing registers
Schools must:
- keep registers electronically (paragraph 31)
- preserve every entry in the attendance or admission register for 6 years (previously it was 3 years) from the date the data was entered (paragraph 36)
- use the revised attendance and absence codes (paragraphs 283 to 407)
- share the school's daily attendance data (paragraph 51)
Maintained schools and non-maintained special schools must (and other schools are expected to) only grant leaves of absence for specific circumstances set out in regulation 11 of the 2024 attendance regulations (paragraphs 37 to 40).
All schools can also grant absence for education off site (paragraphs 41 and 42).
Where applicable, schools are also expected to report unexplained absences to the pupil's youth offending team worker (as well as social worker) (paragraph 52).
New rules around issuing fines for unauthorised absences
The new national framework for issuing penalty notices has replaced local codes of conduct, to ensure consistency across the country.
Fines are currently set to either:
- £80 to be paid within 21 days
- £160 if paid after 21 days but within 28 days
See paragraphs 174 to 200 for more details of the new framework.
Clearer expectations for the school's senior attendance champion
This is an ongoing responsibility of the senior leader responsible for attendance. The champion is expected to:
- set a clear vision for improving and maintaining good attendance
- establish and maintain effective systems for tackling absence
- have a strong grasp of absence data
- regularly monitor and evaluate progress
See paragraph 25.
More detail about supporting pupils with physical or mental ill health
This section provides more clarification about where the role of school starts and ends.
It also provides more information about medical evidence, support for pupils with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND), and part-time timetables.
See paragraphs 53 to 68.
Clearer link between improving attendance and wider school culture
The guidance places greater emphasis on working in partnership with families to find supportive routes to improve attendance (paragraphs 17 to 24).
‘Parenting contracts’ have now been replaced with ‘attendance contracts’
This better reflects the agreement between parents, schools and/or local authorities (see paragraph 138 to 150).
Attendance codes
/ – Present in school AM
\ – Present in school PM
C – Exceptional circumstances
C1 – Absence for a regulated performance
C2 – Pupils on part-time timetables
B – Educated off-site (arranged by the school)
K – Educated off-site (arranged by the council)
D – Dual registered with another educational facility
J – An interview with prospective employers, or another educational establishment
P – Participating in a supervised sporting activity
V – Educational visit or trip
Y1 – Absence due to transport normally provided not being available
Y2 – Widespread disruption to travel
Y3 – For when part of a school is closed
Y4 – Unexpected whole school closure
Y5 – For pupils in the criminal justice system
Y6 – Absence due to public health guidance / law
Y7 – Any other unavoidable cause
W – Work experience
E – Suspended but no alternative provision made
H – Holiday authorised by the school
I – Illness (not medical or dental appointments)
M – Medical or dental appointments
R – Religious observance
S – Study leave
Q – Unable to attend the school because of a lack of access arrangements
T – Gypsy, Roma and Traveller absence
G – Holiday not authorised by the school or in excess of the period determined by the head teacher
N – Reason for absence not yet provided
O – Absent from school without authorisation
U – Arrived in school after registration closed
X – Not required to be in school
| Educational query | No | Yes |
|---|---|---|
| Are you concerned about the attendance of the child/young person? |
Contact the school in charge to ensure that attendance is 90%+. Request a call with a member of staff to talk through the attendance report should the percentage be below 90%. |
If a child’s safety is the main concern the school should: carry out a home visit/call police and refer to Social Care if there are safeguarding concerns. If the attendance is below 90% what is being done by school to improve this? Can I member of school staff talk through the absences accrued to date (is there a pattern? Are the absences mainly due to illness, unauthorised, suspensions). Is there a need for early help intervention to support parents that school and/or social care can provide? Explore friendships; is there a concern of bullying/gang affiliations? Is the child known to Enfield YJS? Contextual safeguarding concerns? Discuss with school, parents, contextual safeguarding team and YJS (if involved):
|
| Are you concerned a child is missing in education (CME) | Continue to monitor school attendance at regular intervals (for example, CiN reviews) to ensure attendance is maintained at expected level / school can explain any new absences. |
Children may become missing from education due to:
|
| Has the family chosen to electively home educate? | Continue to monitor school attendance at regular intervals (for example, CiN reviews) to ensure attendance is maintained at expected level / school can explain any new absences. |
Refer to the Enfield EHE guidance. Has the school been formally notified by the family and officially removed from the school roll? Have you made contact with and invited the Advisory Teacher for Home Education to be part of the professional dialogue? Is there an increased safeguarding risk if the child is home-schooled? Do you need to escalate the plan based on any potential increased safeguarding risk given the change in circumstances? |
| Are you concerned regarding a child being placed on a reduced timetable? | Not applicable. | NB: Part-time timetables are not used as a means to ‘manage a pupil’s behaviour’, are only considered in ‘very exceptional circumstances’ to ‘meet the child’s individual need, ’are ‘only be in place for the shortest time necessary and not be treated as a long-term solution.’
Enquire as to whether the school has made ‘reasonable adjustments’ prior to requesting a reduced timetable. If the child has an EHCP, ensure that the allocated LA SEND caseworker is also aware of the situation and has been involved in the process. Request a copy of the ‘reduced timetable notification’ paperwork from school and confirmation date of being sent to the LA. This document should include a detailed account of the reasons why the reduction is required, the outcomes expected, dates to review at regular intervals and must include signed parental consent. Check that all agreed time outside of school is marked with a C2 code. |
| Disproportionality – Has race, gender, religious identity or age influenced the approach taken by professionals? | Not applicable |
Discuss the case with your Team Manager and engage the Headteacher if necessary. Escalate through the local authority if professionals feel there has been disproportionate treatment. |
Remember
Attendance
90% attendance is classed as persistently absent (PA).
50% attendance is classed as severe absence.
Missing from education
A child or young person is missing from education if they're aged 5 to 16, do not have a school place and there are no alternative education arrangements in place for them.
Children may become missing from education due to:
- never starting school
- not attending due to exclusion or parental withdrawal
- failing to transfer between primary and secondary schools, or different local authorities
- being part of a transient or mobile population (including traveller communities)
NB: If a child has a school place but is not attending regularly, is educated at home, or is in temporary provision such as a Pupil Referral Unit, they are not classed as missing education.
Elective home education
Elective home education (EHE) is the term used by the Department for Education (DfE) to describe parents' decisions to provide education for their children at home instead of sending them to school. This is different to home tuition provided by a Local Authority or education provided by a Local Authority other than at a school. It is recognised that parents may choose home education for a variety of reasons.
Home-educated children are those who, for a range of reasons, are being educated at home and in the community by parents, or tutors, and are not registered at a school.
For more information on elective home education support, email lee.poulter@enfield.gov.uk.