Management Information Sheet

This Management Information Sheet sets out future arrangements for the collection of attendance data from Norfolk schools.

Part-time Timetables

DfE Guidance is clear that all pupils of compulsory school age are entitled to a full-time education. In very exceptional circumstances there may be a need for a temporary part-time timetable to meet a pupil's individual needs, but a part-time timetable must not be treated as a long-term solution and must have a time limit by which point the pupil is expected to attend full-time or be provided with alternative provision. In agreeing to a part-time timetable, a school has agreed to a pupil being absent from school for part of the week or day and therefore must record it as authorised absence using the C code and not a B code. This is a safeguarding matter as every child is legally entitled to a full-time education and the law requires that children are kept safe in school. The Local Authority (LA) needs to be assured that schools are not placing children on part-time or re-integration timetables for longer than is necessary and will begin to request data from schools about any such arrangements.

Parental Responsibility Measures

The LA is required by law to submit data to the DfE regarding parental responsibility measures issued to address poor attendance in state-funded schools including academies and free schools. This data was historically captured by Attendance Officers through their work with individual schools. Moving forward, the Attendance Service will ask all schools for the following information on a half termly basis:

• Details of children who are on part-time or re-integration timetables
• Number of children who are Persistent Absentees
• Details of children who have been absent for 10 consecutive days or more
• The number of cases entering and leaving attendance case management (including fast-track case management) and the reasons for closure
• The number of parents who attended the initial Fast Track meeting in this period, who accepted and signed the action plan
• The number of parents who attended a Fast Track review meeting in this period, who accepted and signed the action plan
• The number of cases referred to the LA for consideration of prosecution in this period
• Reason for closure of Fast Track (attendance improved, medical defence, transport issue, religious observance, authorised traveller absence, other authorised circumstances, removed from roll to home educate, moved to another school in Norfolk, moved to another school out of Norfolk)

How will I submit the data?

Each school will receive this data collection request through the Perspective system that all schools have access to https://perspective.angelsolutions.co.uk/perspective/login.aspx

At least one person, usually the Headteacher, will have a log-on. For any issues around logging-on to Perspective please contact irc.schoolperformance@norfolk.gov.uk for assistance.

Schools can enter the data requested above in an on-line template and return the data, all through Perspective.

Some of the data requests require that the school sends supporting documents to the LA. When asked to do this please follow these guidelines:

1. Please include the (short) school name at the start of the file name of any files you upload (e.g. SchoolnamePupilnameNov2018) in the file name of any files you send to the LA via Perspective -this helps us to correctly identify the files.
2. You can send evidence in a Word, Excel or PDF format. Please send each document individually.
3. Upload – to the LA, using the Perspective Lite. Go to Perspective > Documents > Send Files to Norfolk > Browse – to where you saved the completed template file, select file > select file tag “Attendance” > Upload & Send

The data submission through Perspective will remain active throughout the following half term from the half term that the data is required. For example, the first submission request is for data captured during Autumn Half Term 1 and will remain open to submissions until the end of Autumn Half Term 2. Please see data submission dates below

Further information about the Parental Responsibility Measures Attendance (PRMA) census data return to the DfE can be found at GOV.UK

The Attendance Team continues to be available for advice and support regarding data submission through our duty line on 01603 223 681.