How to Report a Student Absence

As you will be aware there is a direct link between attendance and success. This is why at Varndean College we have a culture of high expectations and outline our expectations around attendance in the student contract, during induction and at every opportunity in our discussions with students & parent/carers about progress. As a full – time provider of Sixth Form education all students are expected to uphold consistent  attendance.

Reporting an Absence

Absence should be reported using this form, which can also be found on Parent Portal and MyVarndean. Reports before 10am should be processed that day. Reports after 10am will not be picked up until the next working day, but may still be retroactively authorised if the report was before the start of the first lesson missed.

There is an expectation that you will report absence as soon as possible. If you know you will be absent in advance, you should report it in advance. As such some reasons for absence can only be found by selecting “In the future” on the form.

For some kinds of absence we need to see evidence – the form should prompt you to upload something in these cases. If you are unable to do so through the form you can email us with it directly at: Attendance@varndean.ac.uk

You can also use this email for attendance related queries and complicated absences. We understand that students or parents may sometimes be unable to use the form or may be absent for reasons or in ways that cannot be properly expressed using it. Emailing us with more details in these cases is fine, but Please do not use the attendance email address to report routine absence as it can get in the way of us handling these more sensitive situations.

Incorrect Absences and ‘I was there’

Whilst for the most part tapping into lessons is effective and reliable, it is not perfect. Students can forget their passes and the reader boxes can fail to read them among other issues. In most cases this can be corrected during the lesson by the teacher using the web version of the register. Sometimes though these are not caught in time, leading to students being marked absent incorrectly.

The attendance team can correct incorrect attendance marks, but only with direct confirmation from that lesson’s teacher. Some teachers are happy to email us with corrections when prompted by students or parents, but the most reliable way to get this confirmation is with an “I was there” form. These can be collected from reception or printed yourself, then returned to reception once filled out and signed.

Monitoring Student Attendance

Parent Portal and MyVarndean both have (nearly) live attendance and register data available and we encourage students and parents/carers to monitor these. Lesson teachers and personal tutors have access to attendance information and can support students with strategies to help improve attendance if needed. Our processes of managing attendance concerns are outlined in our Student Support / Behaviour Policy and Fitness to Study Policy.