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)