{"id":200108,"date":"2024-02-29T14:02:53","date_gmt":"2024-02-29T14:02:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/?p=200108"},"modified":"2024-03-01T13:41:40","modified_gmt":"2024-03-01T13:41:40","slug":"the-10-new-attendance-rules-schools-need-to-know-about","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/schoolsweek.co.uk\/the-10-new-attendance-rules-schools-need-to-know-about\/","title":{"rendered":"The 10 new attendance rules schools need to know about"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Ministers<\/a> have published guidance<\/a> on managing school attendance that will become mandatory from this September.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It includes new absence fine rates, thresholds at which penalties must be considered<\/a>, requirements to share daily data with the government and new absence codes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here’s what schools need to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. \u00a380 fines and \u2018improvement notices\u2019 \u2026<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Absence fines charged to parents will rise from \u00a360 to \u00a380, or \u00a3160 if not paid within 21 days. Schools decide whether to issue fines, but councils administer them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the autumn, only two fines can be issued to the same parent for the same child within a three-year rolling period. Any second notice will automatically be charged at \u00a3160.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

New \u201cnotices to improve\u201d will also be the \u201cfinal opportunity for a parent to engage in support and improve attendance before a penalty notice is issued\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. \u2026and national fine thresholds<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

From September, schools will have to consider a fine if a pupil misses 10 sessions (half days) of unauthorised absence in a rolling period of 10 school weeks. They should \u201cnot have a blanket position of issuing or not issuing penalty notices\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The threshold can be met with \u201cany combination of unauthorised absence\u201d. For example, four sessions in term time plus six instances of arriving late.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The period of 10 weeks can also span \u201cdifferent terms or school years\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But councils \u201cretain the discretion to issue one before the threshold is met\u201d. This could include where parents \u201care deliberately avoiding the national threshold by taking several term time holidays below threshold, or for repeated absence for birthdays or other family events\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Councils can use cash for support<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Penalty notices are \u201cnot a money-making scheme and local authorities should not have income targets\u201d, and revenues \u201cmust be ringfenced for attendance\u201d, guidance says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, while councils previously could only use revenues to administer the fines system, they can now use any surplus on \u201cattendance support\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But \u201cany remaining surplus at the end of the year must be paid to the secretary of state.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Mandatory daily data sharing<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Schools must share daily attendance data with government from September. The \u201ceasiest way\u201d to do this is by having an electronic management information system\u201d which DfE can access and allows an automated flow of data.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearly nine in 10 schools already have this in place.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The \u201cView Your Education Data\u201d dashboard will allow schools to monitor attendance and access \u201cnear real time data to understand trends in attendance patterns\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Don\u2019t give pupils leave for protests<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is up to schools whether they grant absences, but today\u2019s updated guidance lists the scenarios this should be restricted to \u2013 including study leave or interviews.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The guidance also states that \u201cleave of absence should not be granted for a pupil to take part in protest activity during school hours\u201d, which is a new addition to the guidance. You can read more about that here.<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Flag long-term sick leave with LAs<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Schools will have to give councils the name and address of sick pupils who they believe will miss 15 consecutive or cumulative days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools will also be \u201cexpected to inform a pupil\u2019s social worker and\/or youth offending team worker if there are unexplained absences from school\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. Be mindful of mental health<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Schools should now be \u201cparticularly mindful of pupils absent from school due to mental or physical ill health or their special educational needs and\/or disabilities, and provide them with additional support\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It acknowledges \u201cmany children will experience normal but difficult emotions that make them nervous about attending school, such as worries about friendships, schoolwork, examinations or variable moods\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But it is \u201cimportant to note that these pupils are still expected to attend school regularly\u201d. Doing so \u201cmay serve to help with the underlying issue\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Don\u2019t \u2018retrospectively\u2019 remove pupils from registers<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Guidance is now more prescriptive about when pupils should and should not be removed from admissions registers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It states schools cannot \u201cretrospectively\u201d delete a pupil\u2019s name from the admission register or attendance register.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Where pupils have been located but not returned to class, a \u201cjoint decision\u201d is needed between schools and LAs, and they can only be removed from a register if there are \u201cno reasonable grounds\u201d to believe the child will return, even with support or enforcement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. New restrictions on \u2018B\u2019 codes<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Ministers have also shaken up attendance codes, amid concerns they can be misused to send children home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new code K will apply to education provision arranged by a council, rather than the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And there are greater restrictions on using code B for off-site education arranged by schools, requiring the provision to be \u201cof an educational nature\u201d, with their attendance approved by the school.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Schools must record the nature of the education provided and \u201cbe satisfied that appropriate measures have been taken to safeguard the pupil\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. Codes C and Y split up<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The government has also created additional \u201cC\u201d absence codes. While C will be for \u201cexceptional circumstances\u201d, C1 will be for absence for a regulated performance or employment abroad. C2 will be for pupils on part-time timetables.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A new code Q will be for pupils \u201cunable to attend the school because of a lack of access arrangements\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The current code Y will be split up, as follows\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y1: Absence due to transport normally provided not being available<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y2: \u201cWidespread disruption to travel\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y3: For when part of a school is closed<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y4: Unexpected whole school closure (different from code # for planned closures)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y5: For pupils in the criminal justice system<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y6: Absence due to public health guidance or law<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Y7: \u201cAny other unavoidable cause\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Ministers publish new guidance that will become statutory from September<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":70,"featured_media":182552,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[28,239],"post-theme":[2524],"class_list":["post-200108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-dfe","tag-education-policy","post-theme-attendance"],"acf":[],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t