Catch22 reserves the right to amend this policy, following consultation, where appropriate.
Date of last review: May 2026
Date of next review: May 2027
What is the policy about?
Catch22 is committed to providing a full effective and efficient education to all students and embraces the concept of equal opportunities for all. We will endeavour to provide an environment where all students feel valued and welcome.
This policy sets out student and staff responsibilities at Catch22 Colleges for Attendance and Punctuality monitoring.
For a student to reach their full educational achievement, a high level of attendance is essential. We will consistently work towards a goal of 100% attendance for all students. We create a purposeful learning environment and use every opportunity to convey to students and their parents or carers the importance of regular and punctual attendance.
We consider attendance and its recording and monitoring a Safeguarding priority and ensure accuracy and immediacy in its registration and administration.
Who does this policy apply to?
All staff, parent/guardians and students.
College procedures
The academic day consists of two sessions – morning and afternoon. The whereabouts of all students during both sessions must be registered promptly (within the designated registration window) and accurately using the Catch22 register and attendance key table:
- Authorised
- Digitally present
- Holiday – Exceptional circumstances
- Illness
- Late
- Left early
- Not recorded
- Present
- Suspended
- Unauthorised
Registers must be marked at or near the start of each lesson. The register represents auditable evidence that teaching and learning has taken place. The completion of student attendance and punctuality record is a key aspect of statutory safeguarding duty and a mandatory reporting document. Therefore, it is essential that registers are marked accurately. Only the Lead Teacher or a member of staff acting on their behalf can authorise absence.
The designated member of staff for registration and attendance calls will be Catch22’s attendance officers.
Lateness, arrivals, and expectations
Students are expected to arrive on time for the start of the academic day. Where lateness is unavoidable, parents/carers (or students, where appropriate) must notify the college in advance, providing a reason and expected time of arrival.
Cut-off for entry
Students who arrive more than 15 minutes after the end of the registration period, and where no prior notification has been received, may not be permitted to attend lessons for the remainder of that day.
Procedure where a student is refused entry
Where a student is refused entry due to late arrival:
- The student will be marked as absent for the day.
- Parents/carers will be contacted and informed of the decision.
Safeguarding arrangements
All students must have prior parental/carer consent in place confirming whether they are permitted to leave the site independently in the event of being refused entry.
For students who are not identified as vulnerable*, and where prior consent has been provided, the student will be permitted to leave the site in line with those agreed arrangements.
*A vulnerable learner is any child or young person at greater risk of poor educational and personal outcomes due to factors such as (but not only): special educational needs (SEN), socio-economic disadvantage, contextual barriers (such as SEMH, family crisis, health issues) or social care involvement. Vulnerability is viewed as a changing circumstance rather than a permanent characteristic of a child or young person.
For students identified as more vulnerable, including those who are:
- Under 16
- Electively Home Educated (EHE)
- In receipt of an Education, Health and Care Plan (EHCP)
- Identified as having additional vulnerabilities
The following will apply:
- The default expectation is that the student will be collected by a parent/carer or appropriate responsible adult.
- Where alternative arrangements are requested, these must be explicitly agreed in advance.
- On the day, confirmation will be obtained via telephone with the parent/carer or emergency contact before the student is allowed to leave the site.
- A student must not leave the site until this confirmation has been completed and recorded.
Parental/carer consent at enrolment
As part of the enrolment process, all parents/carers will be required to provide signed consent confirming:
- Whether their child is permitted to leave the site independently if refused entry due to lateness.
- Their understanding of the college’s lateness policy and associated safeguarding procedures.
- Agreed expectations regarding travel, collection, and emergency contact arrangements.
Encouraging communication
This approach reinforces the importance of punctuality and encourages proactive communication between students, parents/carers, and the college. It is designed to promote high standards of punctuality, minimise disruption to learning, and ensure that all students are safe and accounted for while on site.
In line with expectations of Ofsted, the college applies a consistent and proportionate approach to punctuality. This supports the development of positive learning behaviours while ensuring that safeguarding responsibilities remain paramount.
Registration coding
- Students arriving after the start of the academic day but before the close of registration will be marked as present but late.
- Students who arrive after registers have closed, or who are not admitted to site, will be recorded as absent using the appropriate code.
- Where no reason for absence is provided, the code ‘U’ (unauthorised absence) will be used.
First day absence
Parents/carers will be expected to inform the college regarding a students reason for absence. If a call has not been received by 08:45, a member of staff will contact the parents/carers to establish the reason for absence. If no contact can be made a message/voicemail should be left. If no contact can be established, this process should be repeated. If no contact can be established after multiple attempts, then emergency contacts should be called.
Where no contact can be made, the ‘Continuing Absence’ guidance should be followed, see below.
Absence notes
Comments regarding students’ absence received from parents/carers and/or made by staff regarding absence should all be recorded on the learner’s Contact Log on the PICS system, including all unsuccessful call attempts and messages. These notes will be used in reviews, proceedings and investigation as evidence.
Continuing absence
Any absence without parental or carer contact will be treated as a matter of concern and a potential safeguarding issue. In such cases, the Designated Safeguarding Lead (DSL) or a deputy will carry out an immediate risk assessment to determine the appropriate next steps, which may include attempts to contact the family or referral to external agencies.
External partners such as Children’s Services, Social Workers, or the Local Authority will be involved where appropriate – particularly if the learner is already known to these services.
In addition to the initial assessment, the learner’s absence and associated concerns will be subject to ongoing review through:
- DSL meetings
- RAG (Red-Amber-Green) meetings
- Team meetings involving Lead Teachers, Teachers, and Recruitment & Progression Officers
This ensures that any emerging risks are monitored closely and responded to in a timely and coordinated manner.
Frequent absence
It is the responsibility of the Lead Teacher, Recruitment & Progression Officer and administrators to identify patterns of absence. During team meetings, teaching staff should also bring forward any concerns or patterns of absence of the learners.
We recognise that some learners are more likely to require additional support to attain good attendance, for example, those Students with special educational needs, physical or mental health needs, and looked after children. We will build strong relationships with parents/carers, listen to and understand barriers to attendance and offer support with trying to remove them.
Attendance, risk assessment and multi-agency working for 14–16 and Elective Home Education (EHE) learners
As an FE provider, the college must comply with safeguarding duties under:
- Keeping Children Safe in Education (KCSIE)
- Education and Training (Welfare of Children) Act 2021
- Children Missing Education (CME)
These duties require prompt action when absence or non-engagement may indicate a welfare concern particularly for learners under 16.
Attendance monitoring for 14-16 Learners (including EHE, dual-registered and commissioned)
The college will:
- Maintain daily attendance registers for all 14 16-year-olds.
- Record authorised and unauthorised absences.
- Follow a clear escalation process when expected attendance does not take place.
Attendance follow-up
- Non attendance: follow absence and safeguarding protocol
- Persistent absence (defined as 10 consecutive expected attendance days or repeated non-attendance): Notify commissioning school (if applicable), LA EHE officer and/or CME team.
For the purposes of CME monitoring, the 10-day threshold refers to 10 consecutive days in which the learner has not attended their education provision, regardless of whether those days were timetabled teaching days.
This approach reflects the principle that a learner of compulsory school age should be in receipt of suitable education every day that education is expected to be provided, and that prolonged periods without confirmed engagement may constitute Children Missing Education.
Non-timetabled days therefore count toward the 10-day threshold, as they represent days on which the learner is not accessing education and their whereabouts or safety may be unknown.
However, safeguarding concerns – including an inability to confirm a learner’s whereabouts – must always be escalated immediately, without waiting for the 10-day threshold to be reached.
When to notify the Local Authority (EHE, CME and commissioned learners)
The college will notify the appropriate LA team (EHE, CME or Children’s Services) when:
- EHE learner stops attending and no alternative education plan is confirmed: Notify the LA EHE officer; may trigger CME enquiry.
- Repeated unexplained absences raise concern about suitability of education: Notify the CME team.
- Safeguarding concerns exist or escalate: Follow safeguarding procedures (MASH/CSC referral) and alert EHE/CME officers.
- Learner’s whereabouts cannot be confirmed: Treat as a potential missing child; inform CME and escalate to police/Children s Services as appropriate.
Risk assessment and safeguarding escalation
The college takes a risk-based approach to any unexplained or prolonged absence, considering vulnerabilities, history, attendance patterns, family engagement, and whether the learner is of compulsory school age.
Under-16 requirement
For learners aged 14-16, any 10 consecutive missed attendance days (authorised or unauthorised) will be reported to the LA in line with CME duties, unless safeguarding risk requires earlier escalation.
Where risk is identified or whereabouts cannot be confirmed, concerns may be escalated to:
- LA CME/EHE teams
- Children’s Services
- Police (if missing child criteria are met)
This may include submitting a Multi-Agency Initial Safeguarding Referral (MISR).
All actions will be recorded on CPOMS.
Leave of absence in term-time
Only exceptional circumstances warrant a leave of absence. Colleges should consider each application individually taking into account the specific facts and circumstances and relevant background context behind the request; as Lead Teachers should only grant leaves of absence in exceptional circumstances it is unlikely a leave of absence will be granted for the purposes of a family holiday. If a leave of absence is granted, it is for the Lead Teacher to determine the length of the time the learner can be away from College. Students should submit requests using the Absence Request Form, see appendices for template.
A welcome back
It is important that on return from an absence, all students are made to feel welcome. This should include ensuring that the student is helped to adjust to college’s daily routine, catch up on missed work, and brought up to date on any information that has been passed to the other students.
Promoting attendance
We will use opportunities as they arise remind parents/carers that it is their responsibility to ensure that their children receive their education. The college has systems to celebrate/reward excellent attendance which include weekly certificates, individual rewards and group rewards, and termly reviews.
Working in partnership with parents and carers
Our aim is to work in partnership with parents and carers to remove students barriers to attendance. We strive to establish good working relationships through good communication and regular meetings to address on-going attendance concerns. If necessary, we signpost to specialist support services who can work with us in a multi-agency approach.
Communications logging PICS & CPOMs
All attendance- and punctuality-related communications between staff and students must be recorded at the time the communication takes place. These interactions must be logged immediately on the Communications Log within the PICS system to ensure accurate and up-to-date records are maintained.
In addition to logging contact on PICS, any safeguarding concerns relating to attendance and punctuality must also be recorded on CPOMS, in line with the college s safeguarding policies and procedures. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Any conversations or meetings where a student s attendance is discussed in the context of their wellbeing or potential safeguarding concerns (e.g. during RAG meetings or team meetings).
- Situations involving continuing or unexplained absence.
- Any communications or actions taken as part of the ‘escalation stages’ process (Appendix 6), including notes and outcomes from escalation meetings.
All staff are responsible for ensuring that relevant information is recorded accurately and promptly to support effective safeguarding and intervention.
Attendance targets – recording and monitoring
A system for analysing performance towards the targets will be established and the Lead Teacher will be responsible for overseeing this work.
The Colleges will use the PICS CRM system for keeping attendance records, and regular monitoring will be carried out by the Lead Teacher and designated staff. The Lead Teacher or designated staff member will provide regular updates to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT) on a termly basis in the following areas:
- Punctuality
- Attendance (including authorised & unauthorised absence)
- Vulnerable group attendance comparisons
- Impacts of attendance and punctuality interventions undertaken by the College
- Attendance data analysis and reporting
Attendance data recorded within PICS will automatically feed into a PowerBI dashboard, providing a detailed and dynamic overview of attendance patterns. The dashboard will display attendance figures by individual student, specific days of the week, sessions, months, courses, and teaching staff. This enables Lead Teachers, the R&P Team, and the SLT to access comprehensive, real-time data for identifying trends, patterns, and areas of concern. The visual analysis supports evidence-based decision-making and targeted interventions to improve overall attendance and punctuality across the College.
Monthly attendance audits will be conducted by the Senior Operations Managers. During each audit, a sample of learners will be selected for review to ensure compliance with attendance and communication procedures. The audit will verify that all relevant communications have been appropriately logged on CPOMS and PICS in line with College guidance. Additionally, auditors will confirm that each learner has been escalated through the appropriate stages of the attendance escalation process, in accordance with the attendance percentage thresholds and expectations. Findings from these audits will be used to ensure consistency, accountability, and continual improvement in attendance management practices across all College sites.
In addition to PIC, any concerns resulting safeguarding concerns will be logged on CPOMs. Including any escalation through the attendance management process (see below), contact with, local authorities, early help, police or any other external agencies.
Escalations stages
Expectations of student attendance and punctuality
The core expectation is for all students to strive for 100% attendance and punctuality.
The attendance escalation process will commence, when a student s cumulative attendance falls below 90% or when there is a negative trend in a student s attendance and punctuality. The R&P Officer should meet with the student and establish a two-week plan using the standardised Improvement Action Plan , see appendices.
The student, including the parent/carers, will be formally notified via a letter detailing the current attendance and punctuality data and the expected improvements required.
There will be multiple escalation stages if attendance does not improve. Learners and Parents/Carers will receive a letter at each escalation stage.
This policy is related to Attendance and Punctuality, failure to show improvement in attendance and punctuality can initiate escalation in line with Disciplinary procedures, whereby students may be at risk of exclusion. This policy works alongside Catch22’s Behaviour & Code of Conduct Policy. If conduct-related issues arise, escalation stages for attendance may be included as one of the Three Stages.
Reasonable adjustments must apply to targets and interventions where a student s SEND status, underlying health condition and/or other vulnerability must be recognised.
Escalation (stages)
Attendance stage 1
Initiated when a student s attendance and/or punctuality is demonstrating a negative trend and there are no reasonable mitigating factors and/or cumulative attendance and/or punctuality has fallen below 90% in any element within the study programme.
- R&P Officer will conduct a 1:1 Attendance Intervention Meeting , and record this on the learners Contact Log. Learner will be informed that their attendance and/or punctuality has activated the attendance management escalation process.
- As a result of entering Stage 1 status, the R&P Officer will issue a Stage 1 notification letter to parents/carers, that reiterates the college expectations.
- Failure to demonstrate improved attendance and/or punctuality within a two week period will result in escalation of attendance management process.
If there is still no improvement in attendance and/or punctuality after monitoring, then Stage 2 of this policy will be implemented.
Attendance stage 2
A student’s attendance and/or punctuality have not improved in line with the expectations as set within the Stage 1 two-week timescale.
A formal Stage 2 meeting will be arranged with the student, and parent/carer including, those identified as part of the students support network. This meeting will be chaired by the R&P Officer and must be recorded on the learners Contact Log. Should the above management not be available then the Lead Teacher chair the meeting. The Chair of the Stage 2 meeting will issue a two-week Attendance Improvement Action Plan with improvement targets, which will be shared with the student and parent/carers. The staff member identified within the Attendance Improvement Action Plan, will be responsible for checking progress of Attendance throughout the monitoring period.
If there is no improvement in attendance within the monitoring period of two weeks, the student will immediately escalate to Stage 3 , the final stage of the Attendance Management process.
Where the student has demonstrated improvement and has met the targets set out within the stage 2 , they will de-escalate to Stage 0. If a negative pattern of attendance and/or punctuality re-occurs within the same academic year, the student will escalate immediately back to their previous Stage 2 status.
Attendance stage 3
A student’s attendance and/or punctuality have not improved and has not met the targets set out within the stage 2 action plan meeting. A formal Stage 3 meeting will be arranged with the student and parent/guardians. This meeting will be chaired by the Lead Teacher and recorded on the Learners Contact Log.
Should the above management not be available then the Recruitment & Progressions Officer will chair the meeting. The Chair of the Stage 3 meeting will issue a two-week Attendance Improvement Action Plan with improvement targets which will be shared with the student and parent/guardian via e-mail.
The staff member identified within the Attendance Improvement Action Plan, will be responsible for checking progress of Attendance throughout the monitoring period. If there is a downward trend in attendance and/or punctuality within the monitoring period of two weeks, the student will immediately escalate to Stage 4 within the Attendance Management process. Where the student has demonstrated improvement and has met the targets set out within the Stage 3 Plan, they will de-escalate to Stage 0.
Attendance stage 4
Where a student’s attendance and/or punctuality have not improved significantly over the Action Plan period, a student along with parent/carer, including those identified as part of the student support network will be formally invited to a Risk of Expulsion panel.
Appeals procedure
A student who has reached Stage 4 within the Attendance Management process are at risk of suspension pending investigation, in line with the College Disciplinary procedures. Students who have been suspended have an opportunity to appeal the decision. All appeals must be submitted to the college team within 10 working days of the exclusion. A Senior Operations Manager will review the record and may call the student for interview. Following conclusion of this process, the student will receive a final outcome of the decision in writing, within ten working days of receipt of the appeal.
The appeal outcome will be one of the following:
- Uphold the decision to permanently exclude the student from the College.
- Revoke the permanent exclusion (with conditions).
Next academic year
Where a student has been on an Action Plan during the current academic year, they will revert back to stage 0 start for the next year of study.
Related policies
- Safeguarding Policy
- Behaviour & Code of Conduct Policy