Attendance and definitions
Improving attendance is everyone’s business. Schools must monitor pupils’ attendance:
- through their daily register
- in accordance with local protocols
Schools should provide us with the details of pupils who:
- fail to attend regularly
- have missed ten school days or more without permission i.e Pupils Not Attending Regularly (PNAR), as per the statutory guidance, working together to improve school attendance
Schools are also required to inform us of sickness returns. They must do this by providing us with the full name and address of all pupils of compulsory school age who:
- have been recorded with code I (illness)
- the school has reasonable grounds to believe will miss 15 days consecutively or cumulatively because of sickness
This information will enable us to identify pupils of compulsory school age who:
- are at risk of not accessing a suitable education by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise
- may not for any period receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them
Section 436A of the 1996 Education Act requires us to identify local children not receiving suitable education.
Lincolnshire Children's Services requires schools to register with us any pupils in receipt of 'less than 25 hours' education. This data, along with school attendance data and exclusion data, will be regularly reviewed (minimum of once per term). This will:
- identify areas of concern
- highlight any vulnerable pupils who 'by reason of illness, exclusion from school or otherwise, may not for any period receive suitable education unless such arrangements are made for them'
Our officers will organise termly targeted support meetings (TSM) to offer:
- advice
- support
- robust challenge
- guidance in relation to school and local authority attendance priorities
They will discuss identified groups and, where appropriate, individual children.
Lincolnshire Children's Services believe all children should be supported to learn in their school whenever possible. This includes those with health needs.
If a child is disengaged from learning or not attending, we must ensure reasonable adjustments and support is in place. This includes cases related to mental health and wellbeing. Support should be provided to address the underlying reasons before putting alternative provision in place.
Definitions
Suitable education
The Education Act 1996 defines a suitable education as one that is appropriate to a child’s:
- age
- ability
- aptitude
- special educational needs
Full time
Full-time education is not defined in law. However, it should equate to what the child would normally receive in school. This is unless the child’s condition means that full-time provision would not be in their best interests. If a child receives one-to-one tuition, the hours of face-face teaching could be fewer, as the provision is more concentrated.
School
For the purposes of this policy, school is used to refer to any:
- maintained school
- academy
- free school
- independent school
- alternative provision school
- education provision where a child is registered as their main education base
Elective home education
Provision that a parent has chosen for their child outside school. This is not to be confused with home tuition which can be provided by:
- the school
- local authority (LA)
- through alternative provision that has been provided by the school or LA
A medical condition
A physical or mental health need that, without reasonable adjustments, can affect a child's attendance. It may also impact their ability to access the curriculum or school activities.
Disability
A physical or mental impairment that substantially impacts the ability to carry out normal daily activities. For example, depression and anxiety. This may meet the definition of being disabled if:
- the child has had the condition for more than 12 months
- it is having a negative impact on their ability to carry out normal daily duties
Under the Equality Act, a child does not need a medical diagnosis to meet the definition.