Overview:

EDClass was set up to support the reintegration, where possible, of learners who cannot access mainstream education, for reasons such as; Emotional based school Avoidance, mental health (e.g. anxiety), Physical health and/or behavioural reasons such as short term or fixed term exclusions.

We are a solely online provision that provides schools/academies the opportunity to add KS3 and KS4 learner to the platform. Learner will be placed through the admissions, attendance and safeguarding process to EDClass ‘Learning Seat’ if the Referrer of the platform intends for EDClass to be the sole provider of the child’s education.

At EDClass we ensure that learner gain access to a curriculum that is appropriate, to their needs ensuring, where reasonably practicable they are not disadvantaged to their peers who access within the mainstream setting. Our Attendance Policy should not be viewed in isolation; it is a strand that runs through all the aspects of school improvement, supported by our policies on Safeguarding, Admissions, and Behaviour policies.

The Policy

1. This policy applies to EDClass, its employees, directors, teachers or any other party who has a financial relationship with EDClass. We are committed to providing a quality education for all our commissioning schools and learner working within the EDClass alternative learning platform. Regular attendance is essential if learner is to achieve their full potential.

2.EDClass believes that regular school attendance is the key to enabling learner to maximise the educational opportunities available from the commissioning schools, to them and become engaged, determined, and compassionate individuals who are able to realise their full potential and make a positive contribution to their community.

3. EDClass values all learner and we will work with families to identify the reasons for unsatisfactory attendance and try to resolve any difficulties. EDClass will endeavour to ensure student attendance is seen as a benchmark of the culture of the commissioning schools and EDClass that work in partnership to raise and improve attendance.

4. Constant communication and interaction must take place between the EDClass teaching team, customer service and safeguarding team with the main points of contacts at the commissioning schools and academies.

Aims of this Policy 

9. To ensure that learner, parents and carers understand the importance of full attendance whilst using the EDClass learning platform and alternative provision.

10. To ensure that commissioning schools, learner, parents and carers understand the detrimental effect of absence on a student’s academic progress and the absence of non-attendance to their EDClass timetable.

11. For our commissioning academies, schools, parents and carers to recognise that poor attendance may be an indicator of underlying issues that need resolving either inside or outside of EDClass including a student’s vulnerability to safeguarding risks such as sexual or criminal exploitation. It is paramount that daily and weekly communications are followed up by the commissioning schools, academies or trusts to address poor attendance or persistence absences

12. To ensure EDClass works with commissioning schools, families to prioritise student attendance. EDClass will endeavour to work with the commissioning schools, learner and parents to provide a suitable and personalised learning environment for all learner where intervention fails to bring about an improvement in attendance. This will be established in the reviews will all relevant parties. The return of a student to our commissioning school is a priority of EDClass. After long term absence of learner, exclusion or persistence absence then the learner attendance, timetable and learning pathway requires special planning. The commissioning schools’ senior leaders, the review team and teaching team of EDClass and possibly Special Educational Needs and Disabilities Co-ordinator and a senior member of staff who will be responsible for establishing and managing a programme for return which meets the individuals’ needs. Staff will be informed of the return of long-term absentees and of any special arrangements that have been made. 

Roles and Responsibilities 

13. EDClass believes that improved school attendance can only be achieved if it is viewed as a shared responsibility with the commissioning schools, Trustees, Local Review Board Members, Staff, Parents, Learner and the wider school community.

EDClass will work with the schools to set out attendance targets through the learning hours designated per learner and, where appropriate, link these to the commissioning schools, Performance Management of Senior Leadership within the commissioning school.

EDClass will:

• Actively promote the importance and value of good attendance to the commissioning schools, academies, learner and their parents.
• Form positive relationships with commissioning schools, learner and parents.
• Ensure that there is a partnership approach with the commissioning schools, which reinforces good attendance whilst accessing the EDClass alternative learning platform.
• Ensure that staff are aware of the Attendance Policy and are able to address attendance issues.
• Ensure that the Registration Regulations, England, 2013 and other attendance related legislation is complied with.
• Ensure that there is a named senior manager and attendance manager within the commissioning schools,  to lead on attendance and allocate sufficient time and resource to work in partnership with the EDClass staff and teaching team to impact attendance
• Report a learner EDClass ’s attendance and related issues through daily, weekly and termly report to the commissioning schools contacts and ensure that systems to report, record and monitor the attendance of all learner
• Encourage parents to contact EDClass if their child is absent to let them know the reason why and the expected date of return.

• Send morning and afternoon registration registers to the commissioning schools, main points of contacts and parents immediately for AM and PM access and learning of each student. This is also sent daily, weekly, and termly. Our account managers will also contact the Main point of contact at the commissioning school at the start of each term to follow up on recent concerns of attendance in between the Review schedules.
• EDClass will take every opportunity to become to form a positive relationship with the commissioning school, parents and learner and acknowledge the importance of children receiving the same messages from both school and home. 

14. EDClass will work with the commissioning schools and learner so that access to teaching, learning and a secure and safeguarded learning platform is available so that every learner can:

• Attend EDClass every day between 8.30 am till 4pm at an agreed timetable, achieving an agreed attendance level set out with the commissioning school for the hours that they must achieve on a daily and weekly basis
• be appropriately prepared for the day
• follow a suitable learning pathway to encourage attendance, progress and attainment

Reviews 

15. Regular reviews ensure that attendance data is collected and analysed frequently in the reviews to identify causes and patterns of absence. Within these student reviews a discussion will take place to:

• Interpret the data to devise solutions and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions.  Ensure that all the above priorities are shared with and reinforced by all relevant stakeholders
• Develop a multi-agency response to improve attendance and support learner and their attendance
• Work with Attendance Teams & DSLs within commissioning schools, academies and trusts who refer learner to EDClass to update, monitor and intervene when necessary to improve attendance.
• Work with parents within these reviews to talk to their child about school and education so that they Take a positive interest in their child’s 
• Inform their commissioning schools contacts, DSL, and SLT members of any problems which affect attendance or punctuality.
• Ensure that the importance and value of good attendance is promoted to learner and their parents
• Ensure that data is understood and used to devise solutions and to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions. 
• Monitor learner’ attendance in specific learner, target groups, year groups and cohorts through regular meetings

Attendance Register 

16. The EDClass Register is completed fully and on time at AM and PM registration of each student and records the learners progress, answers, clicks, actions, questions, assessment and time learning for every lesson throughout the timetabled day. This is instantly sent to the student report which can be accessed live.

17. Any learner stream, chat, interaction, teaching, support and alert can be accessed live by the commissioning school via our secure and fully safeguarded system.

18. Should a student not be in registration; they will instantly be marked absent and an email is sent to the commissioning school and to the parent.

19. Within every pathway of learning a student’s attendance is tracked and recorded Staff must take a register in every lesson. If a member of staff suspects that a student is missing

20. if a student does not access the platform, then EDClass Ltd will notify the Attendance Officer at the commissioning school immediately. This register is emailed out to all key staff.

References

This policy meets the requirements of the school attendance guidance from the Department for Education (“DfE”), and refers to the DfE’s statutory guidance on school attendance and parental responsibility measures, especially for those working within the EDClass learning platform and those commissioning schools that we work with. These documents are drawn from the following legislation setting out the legal powers and duties that govern school attendance:

• The Education Act 1996
• The Education Act 2002
• The Education and Inspections Act 2006
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2010
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2011
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
• The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2016
• The Education (Penalty Notices) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2013
• The Online Education Accreditation Scheme 2023