A training package for those working with school registers

1
School Registers and the Regulations

• A training package for those working with school
  registers

2

• This package is designed as a resource for
  those helping schools, local authorities, parents
  and others to keep the statutory registers
  required under the Pupil Registration
  Regulations. It should be used in conjunction
  with both the regulations and the accompanying
  guidance.
• The regulations, guidance and this package
  must also be read within the context of schools
  role in ensuring the attendance, education and
  welfare of their pupils. Reference must be made
  to other legislation, guidance and advice on
  those areas.

3
Package will cover

• The regulations
• Schools covered by the regulations
• Pupils covered by the regulations
• Admissions register
• Attendance registers
• Approved educational activities
• Unable to attend due to exceptional
  circumstances
• Authorised absence
• National attendance and absence codes
• Deletions from the registers
• Informing local authorities of deletions
• Providing information
• Keeping the registers and
• Further information

4
The Regulations
STATUTORY INSTRUMENTS 2006 No.
1751 EDUCATION, ENGLAND The Education (Pupil
Registration) (England) Regulations 2006 Made -
- - - 1st July 2006 Laid before
Parliament 11th July 2006 Coming into force - -
1st September 2006 In exercise of the powers
conferred by sections 434(1), (3) and (4), 551(1)
and 569 of the Education Act 1996(1), the
Secretary of State for Education and Skills makes
the following Regulations Citation, commencement
and application 1.(1) These Regulations may be
cited as the Education (Pupil Registration)
(England) Regulations 2006 and come into force on
1st September 2006. (2)These Regulations apply
only in relation to schools in England. Interpreta
tion 2. In these Regulations the local
education authority means, in the case of a
school maintained by a local education
authority that local education authority, and in
every other case the local education
authority for the area in which the school is
situated maintained school means a school
maintained by a local education authority
relevant person means (a) in relation
to a pupil under the age of 18, a parent of the
pupil (b) in relation to a pupil who has
attained that age, the pupil. Revocation (1) The
Education (Pupil Registration) Regulations
1995(2) and the Education (Pupil Registration)
(Amendment) Regulations 1997(3) are revoked to
the extent that they apply in relation to schools
in England. (2) The Education (Pupil
Registration) (Amendment) (England) Regulations
2001(4) are revoked. (1) 1996 c.56 by
virtue of the National Assembly for Wales
(Transfer of Functions) Order 1999 (S.I.
1999/672), the powers conferred by these
provisions are exercisable by the Secretary of
State only in relation to England. For the
definition of prescribed and regulations see
section 579(1). (2) S.I. 1995/2089, amended by
S.I. 1997/2624 and 2001/2802. (3) S.I.
1997/2624 (4) S.I. 2001/2802.

• All schools in England must keep registers in
  accordance with the Education (Pupil
  Registration) (England) Regulations 2006
• available at www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation
• along with the explanatory memorandum.
• Guidance is available at www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolatt
  endance
• This package and the guidance are not substitutes
  for the regulations.

5
The Individual Regulations

• Number Name
• 4 Registers to be kept.
• 5 Contents of the admissions Register.
• 6 Contents of the Attendance Register.
• 7 Leave of Absence.
• 8 Deletions from the Admissions
  Register.
• 9 Dual Registration of children with no
  fixed abode.
• 10 Inspection of the registers.
• 11 Extracts from the registers.
• 12 Returns.
• 13 Method of making of entries.
• 14 Preservation of the registers.
• 15 Use of computers.

6
Schools covered by the Regulations

• Regulations about leave of absence apply to
  special schools and maintained schools in
  England.
• Regulations about admissions registers apply to
  all schools in England that have day pupils -
• Schools with only boarders are neither required
  to nor prevented from keeping attendance
  registers.
• The rest of the Education (Pupil Registration)
  (England) Regulations 2006 apply to all schools
  in England.
• Extended schools activities are covered by
  separate legislation and guidance and not
  included in either the attendance register or
  attendance statistics

7
Pupils covered by the Regulations

• Every pupil at the school -
• Education Act 1996, Section 434(1).
• Full-time.
• Part-time.
• Flexi-schooled.
• Permanent.
• Temporary.
• So called guest pupils.
• Only exception is one-off events such as careers
  days and seminars.
• From day first expected by school.

8
Admissions Register

• The regulation has not changed since 1995.
• Schools must record the following information
• pupils full name
• pupils gender
• name and address of every parent/carer
• emergency contact details of at least one
  parent/carer
• name of parent/carer that the pupil normally
  lives with
• pupils date of birth
• date the pupil was last admitted to the school
  and
• name and address of the pupils previous school.

9
Attendance Registers

• Only record attendance if the school is open.
• For every pupil record whether (during the
  session in question)
• present
• absent
• present at approved educational activity or
• unable to attend due to exceptional circumstance
  (defined in the regulations).
• For every compulsory school-age pupil must record
  whether the absence is authorised or
  unauthorised.
• There is no Not required to attend category in
  either 2006 regulations or those they replaced.
• Record absence as unauthorised until the reason
  for the absence is known.
• Taken at start of morning session and during
  afternoon session.
• Use the national codes.

10
Approved Educational Activity

• All children present at another school or at
  off-site provision
• including Travellers Children.
• Work Experience
• Years 10 and 11 only.
• Sporting Activities
• must be taking part
• not following the local team.
• Supervised distance and electronic learning
• with proof work was done by the pupil during
  session in question.
• Not
• study leave
• pupil planning days or
• activities outside the normal school day.

11
Unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances
(enforced closure)

• 2 circumstances
• site failure, e.g. boiler breaks down, flooding
• LA/School arranged transport failure
• pupils who walk must still attend.
• Closed to all pupils.
• Closed to some pupils
• e.g. the flood affects one building and rest of
  school continues as normal.
• If closure happens after register taken do not
  change the register.

12
Authorised Absence

• Illness.
• Transport not provided.
• Religious observance.
• Unavoidable Cause.
• Leave of absence
• compassionate reasons
• employment within legal restrictions on
• child employment
• approving leave of absence.
• family holidays
• up to 10 days for special reasons
• more than 10 days for exceptional reasons
• at head teachers discretion
• Travellers children.
• Part-time Timetables.

13
National Attendance and Absence Codes

• List of codes and guidance on using them is
  available at www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolattendance.
• Automatically divide attendance and absence into
  following statistical categories
• present
• present at approved educational activity
• Aggregates with present in national statistics
• authorised absence
• unauthorised absence and
• not counted in possible attendances.
• Links to School Census
• automatic data compilation if electronic register
  is linked to the School Census system.

14
Deletions from the registers

• Schools can only delete pupils from the
  admissions register in the circumstances
  prescribed in the regulations
• Schools can only delete pupils from the
  attendance register when they are deleted from
  the admissions register.
• Regulations cover
• deletion of compulsory school-age pupils
• deletion of pupils at special schools
• deletion of non-compulsory school-age pupils and
• informing local authorities of deletions.

15
Local authority approval of deletions

• School Attendance Order in place
• order must be revoked or amended before the
  deletion takes place
• normally done by local authority that made the
  Order
• Secretary of State can direct that this be done
• Courts can direct that the Order ceases to be in
  force.
• Authority has arranged for the pupil to attend a
  special school
• local authority must agree to deletion
• Secretary of State can direct local authority
  agree.
• Local Authority approval is not needed in any
  other circumstances but
• can intervene in maintained schools to enforce
  the regulations
• must have completed enquiries to locate the pupil
  in some circumstances
• Schools and local authorities must have policies
  that are in line with the regulations.

16
Deleting Compulsory School-age Pupils

• Schools can only delete compulsory school-age
  pupils the circumstances set out in regulation 8.
• Must have regard to the legislation and guidance
  about the following areas
• pupils with medical needs
• pupils in custody
• schools and local authorities to try to find
  pupils
• restriction on deleting dual registered pupils
• Travellers and
• settled community
• excluding pupils.

17
Compulsory School-age Pupils with Medical Needs

• Schools and local authorities must follow the
  statutory guidance on children with medical
  needs
• reference DfES/0732/2001
• available at www.teachernet.gov.
• Pupils with medical needs can only be deleted if
• school medical officer certifies that the pupil
  is unlikely to return to school before reaching
  non-compulsory school-age and
• pupil has not told the school he/she intends to
  return after doing so
• or the pupils parent(s).

18
Compulsory School-age Pupils in Custody

• Schools cannot delete pupils who are
• remanded in custody
• serving on non-custodial sentence or
• serving a custodial sentence of less than 4
  months.
• can mark pupil as present at approved educational
  activity
• if the pupil was present at the activity during
  the session.
• Schools can delete pupils serving a sentence of 4
  months or more -
• can choose not to if believe pupil is likely to
  return
• the decision rests with the school.

19
Requirement to locate pupils

• Schools can delete compulsory school-age pupils
  if
• pupil fails to return from extended leave of
  absence
• within 10 school days and
• without good reason
• pupil has 20 days continuous unauthorised absence
• must inform local authority of 10 days continuous
  unauthorised absence
• should contact authority earlier if cause for
  concern.
• School and local authority must make reasonable
  enquiry to locate the pupil
• cannot delete pupil until both enquiries have
  been completed
• deal with the issues and reasons for the absence
  if pupil located.

20
Deleting Dual Registered Pupils

• Normal restrictions on deletions apply.
• Consultation
• 2 of the schools must agree to the deletion from
  one
• unless pupil has been permanently excluded
• important pupil is not left without a school
  place.
• Travellers Children
• cant delete from the base school
• can delete from other schools
• School ceases to be base school if
• pupil has never attended for 18 months
• another school becomes the base school.

21
Deleting Permanently Excluded Pupils

• Schools can delete permanently excluded pupils
  but if
• the proprietor has discharged its duties
• and
• the relevant person has stated in writing that he
  does not intend to bring an appeal under those
  regulations
• the time for bringing an appeal has expired and
  no appeal has been brought within that time or
• an appeal brought within that time has been
  determined or abandoned.
• This applies to compulsory and non-compulsory
  school-age pupils.

22
Deleting Non-compulsory School-age Pupils

• Non-compulsory school-age pupils can only be
  deleted if they
• have left the school
• have built up 20 school-days continuous
  unauthorised absence
• have died
• have been permanently excluded or
• are not transferring from the Nursery to the
  Reception class.

23
Informing the LA of deletions

• Schools must inform their LA of the following
  deletions as soon as they become aware of their
  possibility
• permanent exclusion
• moving away from the area and is not known to
  have a place at a new school
• medical condition preventing their return
• leaving the school and is not known to have
  registered at another school and
• leaving the school to be home educated.
• Good practice to copy the notice to parents.
• Allow time for notice reach local authority.
• Do not wait for local authority to acknowledge
  notice
• local authority approval is not needed.

24
Providing other Information

• Inspections of registers
• of a maintained school by local authority
  officer
• of any school by Ofsted inspectors
• either can take extracts of the registers.
• About absence to the local authority
• continuous unauthorised absence of 10 days or
  more
• failure to attend regularly.
• Data Protection Act 1998
• allows information to be shared
• allows inspection of registers
• See Schedule 3 (paragraph 7) of the Act.

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Keeping the Registers

• Manual Registers
• still permitted.
• Electronic Registers
• not mandatory to have lesson monitoring
• Amending the Registers
• to correct an error
• to note a change of details
• when explanation is received for a pupils
  absence.
• Storing the Registers
• can use electronic storage methods
• must be secure
• stored for three years after last entry.

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Further Information

• School day and school year regulations
• Pupil information regulations
• Exclusions statutory guidance
• School Leaving Date Order
• Absence codes guidance
• Access to Education for children and young
  people with Medical needs statutory guidance
• Children missing from education guidance
• www.teachernet.gov.uk
• www.dfes.gov.uk/schoolattendance
• www.opsi.gov.uk/legislation