The Education (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2006

Contents of Attendance Register

6.—(1) The following particulars must be recorded in the attendance register at the commencement of each morning session and once during each afternoon session —

(a)in the case of every pupil whose name is entered in and not deleted from the admission register whether the pupil is —

(i)present;

(ii)absent;

(iii)attending an approved educational activity within paragraph (4); or

(iv)unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances within paragraph (5);

(b)in the case of any such pupil of compulsory school age who is absent, a statement whether or not his absence is authorised in accordance with paragraph (2);

(c)in the case of any such pupil of compulsory school age who is attending an approved educational activity the nature of that activity; and

(d)in the case of any pupil unable to attend due to exceptional circumstances, the nature of those circumstances:

but this paragraph does not apply in respect of a pupil who is a boarder.

(2) In the case of a pupil who is not a boarder, his absence shall be treated as authorised for the purposes of this regulation if—

(a)he has been granted leave of absence in accordance with regulation 7; or

(b)he is unable to attend—

(i)by reason of sickness or unavoidable cause;

(ii)on a day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which his parent belongs; or

(iii)because the school is not within walking distance of the pupil’s home, and no suitable arrangements have been made by the local education authority either for his transport to and from the school, or for boarding accommodation for him at or near the school or for enabling him to become a registered pupil at a school nearer his home.

(3) Where the reason for a pupil’s absence cannot be established at the time when the register is taken, that absence shall be recorded as unauthorised and any subsequent correction to the register recording that absence as authorised shall be made in accordance with regulation 13 and as soon as practicable after the reason for the absence is established by the person with responsibility for completing the register.

(4) An approved educational activity is either—

(a)an activity which takes place outside the school premises and which is—

(i)approved by a person authorised in that behalf by the proprietor of the school;

(ii)of an educational nature, including work experience under section 560 of the Education Act 1996(1) and a sporting activity; and

(iii)supervised by a person authorised in that behalf by the proprietor or the head teacher of the school; or

(b)attendance at another school at which the pupil is a registered pupil.

(5) The exceptional circumstances in which a pupil may be marked as unable to attend are where—

(a)the school site, or part of it, is closed due to unavoidable cause at a time when pupils are due to attend; or

(b)in the case of a pupil for whom transport to school is provided by the school or a local education authority, and whose home is not within walking distance of the school, that transport is not available.

(6) The name of a pupil may only be deleted from the attendance register when that pupil’s name has been deleted from the admission register for that school in accordance with regulation 8.

(7) For the purpose of this regulation “walking distance” has the meaning given to that expression in section 444(5) of the Education Act 1996(2).