School Daily Attendance Register and Data-Quality Checklist

Identify the published start of the morning session and the afternoon registration session. Exclude earlier voluntary provision, such as a breakfast club, from the morning session.

Take the attendance register at the start of the morning session, at the same time for all registered pupils, and record an appropriate attendance or absence code for every pupil listed in the admission register at that time, except where the cited boarder exception applies.

Take the attendance register once during the afternoon session, at the same time for all registered pupils, and record an appropriate attendance or absence code for every pupil listed in the admission register at that time, except where the cited boarder exception applies.

Check the duration for which each register was open and record the duration in minutes. The register must be kept open for no more than 30 minutes.

Review both session registers to ensure that each pupil's entry reflects whether the pupil was physically present when registration was taken or records the reason for absence using the applicable national attendance or absence code. Do not record a pupil as present if the pupil was not in school during registration.

Review pupils who arrived after registration began. Where a pupil arrived before the register closed, confirm that the applicable late-arrival code has been used. Where a pupil was recorded with code N and arrived after the register closed, amend the register to code U or another more appropriate absence code.

Review every absence entry in both session registers and confirm that the code used is the applicable national attendance or absence code for the recorded reason.

If a pupil has an agreed part-time timetable, compare the register with the timetable and confirm that absence for the covered part of the week or day has been recorded accordingly, normally using code X or C2.

Compare the registers with the school's expected pupil attendance information and identify pupils whose absence is unexpected or whose reason has not been established.

For each unexpected absence or unresolved absence reason, follow the school's attendance follow-up process and record the action taken or the next action required. If no follow-up is applicable, record that outcome in the school's operational record.

Correct any identified present, late, N, or other attendance or absence entry so that the register reflects the pupil's status and the applicable code for the session.

Where the school is required to share attendance information with the Department for Education or the local authority, confirm that the register data is accurate and progress the required sharing through the applicable process.

Record any unresolved coding, register, data-quality, unexpected-absence, or information-sharing issue and identify the person or team responsible for the next action under the school's process.