Can a child get a present mark if in school but not classroom?

[SessionInSchool]

My DC (aged 8, Y4) has an activity in school once per week that clashes with the afternoon sessions/registers being taken (think like OT/MH support etc.). DC is in school at the time but not in their classroom.

A mark is not entered into the register by DCs teacher but is coded as a C by the receptionist at school (I can see this on the app)

It occasionally gets flagged up by the council/EWO and I have to explain what the session is and where exactly in school DC is. I’ve never been fined for it, but do have to explain it. The session ends after the registers have closed in the afternoon but DC goes back to their classroom after it.

Is there anyway that the receptionist can mark DC as present? Or does it have to be coded as C (other authorised circumstances).

Anything off site is either coded as M or B (depending on the appointment) which I also have to explain.

Just wondered if it can be coded differently to not flag up with EWO/Council?

That seems odd. We would mark as present in our school.

Seems odd to me too. May be ask the school who takes the register and call in every day of the activity to remind them of marking it as attending. Not sure how school marks attendance but probably the teacher needs reminding.

@Sapphirering It's not the teacher, the teacher is told not to mark any child she hasn't seen as present, it#s the receptionist, she knows DC is in school as she's literally handed them over to the person running the activity/session but marks it as a C on the register, I'm asking if DC could be marked as present which sounds like they could be.

Is it a different teacher in the morning and afternoon? They must know that this child is at their activity each week. Teachers are told in advance if a child is leaving at some point during the day as we have to escort them from class to the office (school has a key fob system to lock off each year group and access to the hall/office etc)

Surely C is authorised absence but out for whole session which she is not. She is "present in school" which is what the registration mark is. Nothing to do with class although that is where the register takes place. We have children out for music lessons, as we know they are in school and at music they are marked as present.

You need to look at the codes and what they are used for. Page 10 for information

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1073591/School_attendance_guidance_May-2022.pdf

Yes in that case they should be marked as attending as technically they didn't leave the school premises at least that's my understanding. Probably someone working as an admin or similar might have better information or suggestions.

They should really be marked present if they're in the building. The teacher can't do that if the child isn't in class but the office should be able to.

C usually means the child is absent but for authorised reasons. It shouldn't be used if they are in school.

"Present at school - Pupils must not be marked present if they were not in school during registration."

In school.

@SessionInSchool Cross posts with you and seen your update, your office person is wrong.

I had the school ring me and tell me he haven't turned up once, when he was in such a session. They actually thought he wasn't in school.

I would be raising it as a concern.
If a child from my class was in a music lesson or similar I would mark them present. Their class teacher should know exactly where they are. What if there was an emergency?

@Theimpossiblegirl I'm not worried about that as the receptionist knows exactly where DC is and DC knows the fire process from that room and would join their own class, it's just whether it can be marked as present by the receptionist which it can so will be asking that in future.

Can't you raise it with the EWO themselves and get them to sort the school out?

Raise the issue with the school head op. I think Headteacher deals with issues about staff. I think it's miscommunication which needs to be set right. If you have gotten calls from the council it's probably not recorded properly. It seems like the receptionist knows where DC is so I am wondering why is it not recorded properly.

I think your receptionist doesn't understand the code for the SIMS system. We are all telling you, those of us who work in schools that this is wrong. Have a look at the gov link I put above which clearly states present in school, it does not mean class. We have children out of class but in school in music lessons, in intervention, in SEND meetings and in behavioural support groups and a barriers to learning group ie not SEN but maybe parents are getting divorced and children are struggling with concentration, they are in with a trained therapist. So many reasons they may not be in the classroom.

* If* a child from my class was in a music lesson or similar I would mark them present.

But you would have seen them presumably.

If you hadn't seen them with your own eyes you would (or should) mark them absent then the office would need to make sure the child was in a music lesson.

The office in the OPs school are being ridiculous. And they are bollocksing up their school's attendance too. Making it look worse than it is.

It is an issue actually. Fire alarm goes off, child A is unable to leave the building. Teacher checks the register. Everyone is here. Child A isn't, but that's fine because they weren't in at registration either.

It's unlikely but possible and should be more than enough reason to make school mark her in.