Attendance - Coding

Information on coding

The Working together to improve school attendance statutory guidance has introduced significant changes to coding requirements which came into force as from 19 August 2024.  To support our schools to understand and comply with the changes, we have listed some common coding queries and the advice that schools need to be aware of.

The coding advice which is being shared by the attendance teams at Essex County Council is to serve as additional advice to support your understanding of how specific register codes are to be used. The content that we have shared covers some of the frequently asked coding questions which have been raised with us since the statutory guidance came into force in August 2024.  

N.B. Schools are still required to familiarise themselves with the National Codes set out within the statutory guidance.  
 

C2 - We have a pupil on a reduced or remote education timetable, how should this provision be coded?

C2 - a leave of absence for compulsory school age pupil subject to a part-time timetable

Schools must monitor the engagement of all pupils subject to a part-time and/or remote education timetable and ensure that the C2 is used as follows:

  • Where a pupil is not physically in school at the time the register is taken (or within the 30 minutes registration window), then a pupil on a part-time/reduced timetable must be coded using C2, or if their absence is not related to their agreed part-time timetable, then the relevant absence code should be used for the session in question, e.g. M if attending a medical appointment, I if they were too ill to attend school, etc. 
  • This code may also be applicable where a pupil is making use of an AV1 Robot if their educational offer is part-time/reduced, and they are not physically present on the school-site or physically supervised. This form of education is remote education. 
  • This code may also be applicable where a school has commissioned an online remote learning package, that does not constitute a full-time education and the pupil is not physically supervised by the tutor. 

There has been some confusion around the expected use of code C2. The code should be used to illustrate where a pupil is either subject to a part-time/reduced timetable and/or has been placed on a remote learning package. 

For more information on commissioning and safeguarding pupils on a part-time/reduced/remote education timetables the following document is very useful - Safeguarding 1.

Schools must also report all pupils on a part-time/reduced timetable to the Education Access Team, more information can be found on the Provision and Reduced Timetables page. 

Part-time/reduced timetables must:

  • only be used in exceptional circumstances and be in a pupil's best interest
  • only be introduced where schools and parents are in agreement
  • be temporary (shortest time necessary) to meet a pupil's individual needs
  • not be treated as a long-term solution
  • be time-limited, with a defined end point - the point at which the pupil is expected to be attending school full-time
  • include formal arrangements for regularly reviewing the progress of the pupil

T Code - "Mobile Children" - when does the T code apply?

T Code - Parent travelling for occupational purposes 

The T Code must only be used where a pupil is a ‘mobile child’: what is a mobile child?  

A mobile child is a child of compulsory school age who has no fixed abode AND their parent(s) occupation means they must travel from place to place.

N.B. This code does not apply when a pupil has no fixed abode due to homelessness.  

‘No fixed abode’ means that someone either does not have a settled place where they can live full-time, or they have a place where they can live full-time, but they spend substantial periods of time not living there.  

This is a decision for schools on the individual facts/context of a case, but it will be obvious for example, whether a pupil travels for a substantial part of the year versus a single short trip. Local authorities and schools need to be mindful of the whole defence – (a) that the child is of compulsory school age, (b) that the parents trade or business requires them to travel from place to place, (c) that they have no fixed abode.   

Therefore, a mobile child could be a child whose family travels all year round as part of their trade or business and has no permanent address at all, but it also includes a child who does have a fixed place to live (like a house) but does not live there for a substantial part of the year, if their parent is engaged in a trade or business that requires them to travel from place to place. If the child is absent from school while travelling with that parent, then code T applies.  

Where this code applies, schools and families must consider dual registration to minimise disruption to the pupil’s education. It is advised that the Senior Attendance Champion at the main school* liaises with the identified appropriate subsidiary school to support such arrangements.

*Main school in this context means the school that, during the last 18 months, the child has attended during periods when their parent was not travelling in the course of their trade or business, or, if there is more than one school that fits that description, the school that most recently fulfils this criteria.  

Where a pupil/family has a fixed abode all year round, apart from when they travel for a short period, for example to attend a traveller fair or festival e.g. Appleby Horse Fair, code T will not apply. Such families may only be attending the traveller fair or festival as part of their trade or business e.g. they have a stall at the fair each year. Schools must consider whether the definition of “no fixed abode” (see above) applies.

T Code is an authorised absence.   

Traveller pupils are expected to attend as regularly as the trade or business permits.  

Traveller pupils aged 6 or older are expected to attend school for at least 200 sessions in the preceding 12 months.  

If the trade or business permits the child to attend for more than 200 sessions, they should do so.  

B Code - We (school) have commissioned an off-site approved educational activity for a pupil, can we use the B code?

Schools may only use the B code where all of the following criteria can be clearly evidenced:  

  • School have commissioned the provision on behalf of the pupil (not commissioned by the LA - see Code K)
  • The activity must take place during the session for which it is recorded  
  • The pupil is physically attending an approved alternative provision that is not taking place on the school site  
  • The pupil must be physically supervised by someone approved by the school  
  • The activity / provision is not a sporting activity or work experience (see P and W Codes)  
  • The school must consider the activity to be of educational nature e.g. attending transition days at other schools, attending courses at college, attending unregistered alternative provision arranged by the school  
  • Appropriate measures are in place to safeguard the pupil, including clear arrangements to monitor and respond to attendance and engagement concerns.

Where a pupil is absent, school must record the pupil’s absence using the relevant absence code, e.g. when too ill to attend, code I must be used.   

For more information, please make use of the below as well as referring to the Ofsted handbook.  

For information about alternative provision arrangements, please visit the Alternative provision page.

Schools should also ensure adequate safeguarding arrangements are in place, please see this useful Essex guide - Safeguarding - 1.
 

K Code - A pupil is in receipt of alternative provision which has been commissioned by the Local Authority (e.g. via SEND or the Education Access Team), what code do we enter in our registers?

Where the LA has commissioned alternative provision, Code K may apply providing that the following criteria can be clearly evidenced:  

  • The LA, via either SENDOps or Education Access, have commissioned alternative provision on behalf of the pupil - i.e. not school commissioned – see Code B  
  • The alternative provision cannot be online provision (see Codes C2/C)  
  • The LA commissioned provision is not taking place at the school, or at another school at which the pupil is registered (dual-registered)  
  • Schools must record the nature of the provision e.g. attending courses at college; attending unregistered alternative provision, 1:1 tutor delivering in person (i.e. not virtual/online), tuition to the pupil (this tuition may take place at a neutral venue or at the family home)  
  • The pupil must be physically attending an approved alternative provision that is not taking place on the school site and has been commissioned by the LA  
  • The pupil must be physically supervised by someone approved by the LA (see below for further clarification which the DfE have provided in this regard)  
  • Appropriate measures are in place to safeguard the pupil, including clear arrangements between the school and the provider to monitor and respond to attendance and engagement concerns.  

Where a pupil is absent, school must record the pupil’s absence using the relevant absence code, e.g. when too ill to attend, code I must be used.   

DfE Code K clarification   

"For code K, we would expect educational provision arranged by the local authority to be physically supervised by someone who the local authority considers to have the appropriate skills, training, experience and knowledge to ensure that the activity takes place safely and fulfils the educational purpose."  
For more information, please make use of the below as well as referring to the Ofsted handbook.  

For information about alternative provision arrangements, please visit the Alternative provision page.

Schools should also ensure adequate safeguarding arrangements are in place, please see this useful Essex guide - Safeguarding - 1.

When must we apply the U code? (later arrival after registers have closed)

Where a pupil has arrived late after the register has closed but before the end of session. Schools should actively discourage late arrival, be alert to patterns of late arrival and seek an explanation from the parent.  

All schools are expected to set out in their attendance policy the length of time the register (AM and PM) will be open, after which a pupil will be recorded as absent. This should be the same for every session and not longer than 30 minutes.  

Where the school has permitted the pupil to arrive after the registers have closed, or they are aware of a valid / unavoidable reason, then the appropriate absence code should be entered into the register for the session in question, for example; M (where the pupil is late due to a medical appointment), C2 (where the pupil is subject to an agreed part-time/reduced timetable), where home to school transport provision fails – see Code Y1, etc.   
 

Study leave coding, appropriate use of the S code

The S code should be used where leave has been agreed in advance with a parent (with whom the pupil normally resides) for a pupil to study for a public examination (please note that entrance examinations e.g. 11+ exams, Independent School entrance examinations and mock examinations are not eligible for the use of the S code).  

Study leave must not be applied in a blanket approach once the content of the syllabus has been taught for a particular subject. The DfE states that the S code should be used sparingly and where study leave has been granted, provision must still be made available for those pupils who want to continue to come into school to revise.                                    

Where a pupil is absent during a public examination, the appropriate absence code must be used.  

All year 11 pupils are expected to remain in full time education until the last Friday in June of that academic year:

  • Where a school has a sixth form and the pupil is due to transition to year 12, the school may use the X code after the pupil has ceased to be of compulsory school age (last Friday in June).  
  • Where schools do not have a sixth form or the pupil is not due to transition into year 12, schools may remove from roll after the last Friday in June has passed.          

N.B. Half term 6 data for Year 11s is not included within a school’s statistical attendance/absence published data.      
 

Y7 Code - staggered starts

DfE Staggered Start Coding Clarification  

The DfE webinar – Q & A - School attendance register: attendance and absence codes - YouTube states that Code Y7 would be used in this circumstance - other unavoidable cause that prevents the pupil attending. However, the DfE go on to state that schools will need to ensure that they have recorded the reason for the use of the code in the ‘free text box’ to show that the pupil was subject to a staggered start.   

DfE Clarification:

“Primarily only be used in an emergency situation”, and they “do not encourage staggered starts; all children are entitled to a full-time education, so schools must ensure that a pupil who is prevented from attending on that particular day due to a staggered start receives the full education everybody else has received over the course of the school year, they shouldn’t miss out because of that.”

This places an expectation on schools to ensure that pupils are provided with an opportunity to make up any time missed due to staggered start arrangements. 
 

How do we code a teacher strike?

Where part of the school premises, or the whole school site has to close because of strike action, code Y3 (part of school premises unavoidably closed) or code Y4 (whole school site unexpectedly closed) should be used as appropriate.  

Code Y3: Unable to attend due to part of the school premises being closed  

Unable to attend due to part of the school premises being closed. Part of the school premises is unavoidably out of use and the pupil is one of those that the school considers cannot practicably be accommodated in those parts of the premises that remain in use. This code is classified for statistical purposes as not a possible attendance.  

Code Y4: Unable to attend due to the whole school site being unexpectedly closed  

Where a school was planned to be open for a session, but the school is closed unexpectedly (e.g. due to adverse weather), the attendance register is not taken as usual because there is no school session. Instead, every pupil listed in the admission register at the time must be recorded with code Y4 to record the fact that the school is closed.  
 

Home to school transport arrangements - what is the difference between code Q and code Y1?

Code Q: Unable to attend the school because of a lack of access arrangements  

Code Q is only used where a pupil is absent because the local authority has a legal duty to arrange home-to-school travel for the pupil and they have not done so, or because the pupil has no choice but to attend a school [offered by the LA only] that does not qualify for such travel arrangements and is more than walking distance from where they live.  

Code Q applies where:  

  • the local authority has a duty to arrange the pupil’s home to school travel and has not; or 
  • the pupil is registered at a private school that is beyond walking distance from the pupil’s home and the local authority has not arranged boarding for them or enabled them to go to a state school nearer to their home 

Code Y1: Unable to attend due to transport normally provided not being available  

Code Y1 applies where a pupil is unable to attend because the school is not within walking distance of their home and the transport to and from the school that is normally provided for the pupil by the school or local authority is not available.  
 

Under what circumstances may the X code be used for non-compulsory school age pupils?

Code X: Non-compulsory school age pupil not required to attend school   

Schools can grant a leave of absence for a pupil not of compulsory school age to attend school part-time.  

Schools must use code X to record when a pupil of non-compulsory school age is absent with leave because their timetable does not require them to attend.  

Where a pupil of non-compulsory school age is absent when timetabled to attend the school, the absence must be recorded using the appropriate absence code, i.e. not code X. For example, if the child is too ill to attend, code I must be entered for the session/s concerned, as would be the case for any other pupil.
 

Where a pupil is not permitted to travel to school due to the potential transmission of infection or disease, what code applies?

Code Y6: Unable to attend in accordance with public health guidance or law  

Where a pupil is well enough to attend (otherwise Code I would have been recorded), but there are Government rules or guidance to limit the spread of infection or disease which say they should not attend, Code Y6 should be used.  

Code Y6 is applicable on cases where the pupil’s travel to or attendance at the school would be:  

  • contrary to any guidance relating to the incidence or transmission of infection or disease published by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, or  
  • prohibited by any legislation relating to the incidence or transmission of infection or disease. 
     

What "unavoidable causes" will fall under the code Y7 requirements?

Code Y7 – Unable to attend because of any other unavoidable cause 

An unavoidable cause, that is not covered by one of the other Y code definitions and is preventing the pupil from attending the school.   

This code should be used only where something in the nature of an emergency has prevented the pupil from attending the session in question. The unavoidable cause must be something that affects the pupil, not the parent.

When using code Y7, schools must record the nature of the emergency / unavoidable cause which is preventing the pupil from attending the session in question.

Examples for when the Y7 code may be used are: 

  • Bail conditions (that prevent the pupil from attending the school or being present in the area where the school is situated)  
  • Court attendance (where the pupil is legally required to attend Court) 
  • The pupil has a mental health emergency and has been detained under the Mental Health Act and is therefore being prevented from attending school. N.B. Once the pupil has been discharged and remains unable to attend school, due to their mental health, code I should be used to cover any ongoing absence and relevant support considerations should be made e.g. a referral to the Education Access Team 
  • The pupil is being held at an immigration detention centre 
  • The pupil is on license and is required to present to a particular place/partake in specified community service during school hours – causing the pupil to be absent

Please note that code Y7 is only expected to be used in rare circumstances. It is important that schools keep clear records about the nature of the emergency/unavoidable cause which leads to the use of code Y7, on each occasion that this code is entered into the registers.  
 

What coding applies when a pupil is dual-registered?

The law allows a pupil to be registered at more than one school. A pupil may only be dual-registered where they are on roll at two different settings that are both DfE registered (have a DfE registration number e.g. for Essex settings the registration number will be in the following format: 881/XXXX).

Where a DfE registered provision is responsible for providing an education to a child/young person, they are required to place them on roll and report that attendance (even if it is only for one session) via their census return - which means that the child/young person is to be counted as a pupil on roll. Where a child/young person is already on roll at a DfE registered setting and arrangements are made for them to be educated at an alternative DfE registered setting, albeit on a trial/temporary basis, they too are required to place the child/young person on roll and, effectively, enter into a dual registration agreement.

DfE-registered settings are no longer supported in adding pupils to their roll under a “guest” status.  

Code D is used to indicate that a pupil is absent with leave to attend the other school at which they are registered. The main examples of dual registration are pupils who are attending a hospital school, have been temporarily housed in another area and are expected to return to their current school at an agreed date or when a mobile child is unable to attend their main school and they have registered, temporarily, at another school close to the location at which they are based whilst travelling with their parent.   

The school at which the pupil is scheduled to attend must record the pupil’s attendance and absence with the relevant code, e.g. when too ill to attend, code I must be used.   

Code D – Dual registered at another school 

Where a pupil is dual-registered with an Essex Pupil Referral Unit (PRU) e.g. when you have made a referral to the Education Access Team due to a medical illness concerns, etc., you must enter a code D into your attendance register for each session that the pupil is not expected to attend your school and is, instead, expected to attend the PRU. 

Where a pupil is dual-registered and is not expected to attend your setting, you must enter code D whilst the other setting records whether the pupil is present or absent, using the appropriate code.  

Schools must ensure that they have in place arrangements whereby all unexpected and unexplained absences are promptly followed up. 

Schools should also ensure adequate safeguarding arrangements are in place, please see this useful Essex guide - Safeguarding - 1.

Illness absence: How do we determine what is: too ill to attend, genuine and reasonable doubt, an appropriate request for medical evidence, and an appropriate use of code I

Code I: illness (not medical or dental appointment) 

Parent notifies the school that their child is ill.   

If the pupil is too ill to attend, schools must record such absences as authorised as code I.  However schools should read both the Code I information found within the statutory Working together to improve school attendance guidance  as well as the DfE and Children's Commissioner Guide for Parents on School Attendance to support the appropriate use of Code I.  

According to Communicating with families to support attendance, parents value clear guidance on mild illness to help them make decisions and research shows that consistency of schools’ behaviour in following this guidance is important to parents.  

Essex schools should therefore make use of the NHS and Essex produced  ‘What to do – Child Illness’ resource  to help inform all parties in what is considered ‘too ill to attend’ and ensure the appropriate use of Code I. This information should be regularly communicated to parents, as well as to the whole school community; educating pupils and staff to ensure consistency and understanding of what it means to be ‘too ill to attend’.  Schools are advised to ask that parents consult this document prior to reporting their child as absent due to illness. This is to help them decide whether their child is ‘too ill to attend’ or not, as well as to support schools to decide whether Code I can be applied. Schools in Essex are encouraged to also ensure this information sits within their published attendance policy.  

The documents linked above state “In the majority of cases, a parent’s notification that their child is too ill to attend school...can be accepted without question or concern.” However, it goes on to state that “where the school has genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the illness”, or where a child is “regularly reported absent because of illness”, medical evidence can be requested.  Therefore if such evidence is requested, until provided, school can choose to unauthorise the absence (see Code O).  

It is important that schools communicate with transparency.  Setting clear expectations in terms of illness absence will alleviate some of the ambiguity around what is considered ‘too ill to attend’.   

What constitutes genuine and reasonable doubt? 

Genuine and reasonable doubt, could relate to several scenarios such as whether a pupil is regularly reported absent due to being ill, historical attendance concerns, etc. Other scenarios may include, for example, siblings being absent on the same day - although this does not mean the illness is not genuine, it may lead to reasonable doubt. Another example is where a pupil reports to friends or members of staff that they are going, or did go away for the weekend, or on a family day out.  These are just some scenarios that could cause a school to hold reasonable doubt over the information that has been provided.  

In all such cases, schools should have conversations to try to resolve any concerns.  

Equally, a pupil may be reported absent due to illness regularly and it could be an indicator of a wider concern. Schools in Essex can make use of the Essex Absence Call-Back Prompt Sheet to support the identification of where this may be the case, so that support may be put in place, before the concern becomes persistent or severe.  

When should schools request medical evidence? 

Schools may consider requesting medical evidence where a pupil is regularly absent because of illness, or where they believe a pupil was / is not ‘too ill to attend’.   

Usually, a conversation can help to resolve the issue, alongside signposting families to the ‘What to do – Child Illness’ resource and ensuring families know that their child will be well-looked after and cared for at school, and that of course if they are at school and become ‘too ill to attend’, school staff will contact the parent/s. 

Where a school deems it appropriate / necessary to request medical evidence, then: 

  • The evidence provided should also be looked at to assess how the school can help by putting the right support in place; 
  • Schools should not be rigid about the form of evidence requested and should speak to the family about what evidence is available – for example, evidence does not need to be in the form of a letter from a doctor;  
  • Schools should be mindful that requesting additional medical evidence unnecessarily places pressure on health professionals, particularly if the illness is one that would not require treatment by a health professional; 
  • Where a parent cannot provide evidence in the form requested, but can provide other evidence, schools should take this into account; 
  • Where a parent cannot provide any written evidence, the school should have a conversation with the parent and pupil (if appropriate) which may, in itself, serve as the necessary evidence to record the absence as authorised; 
  • The DfE and Children's Commissioner Guide for Parents on School Attendance states that medical evidence can be provided in the form of: 
    • Appointment cards; 
    • Prescriptions; or 
    • Notes of previous consultations (including from the NHS App). 
  • A lack of written evidence must not prevent the right support being put in place;  
  • Where a referral to the Essex Education Access Team is being considered, however, more detailed information from a health professional will be required to support the referral. 

Schools should read both the Code I information found within the statutory Working together to improve school attendance guidance, as well as the DfE and Children's Commissioner Guide for Parents on School Attendance to support the appropriate use of Code I.