Roll marking in state schools procedure

Audience

All state schools

Purpose

This procedure outlines the responsibilities and processes for recording student attendance and absence on state school rolls. Roll marking is part of student attendance management, which is critical for ensuring the safety and protection of students.

Overview

Schools maintain evidence of each student's attendance at their educational program. Each student's attendance or absence is recorded in class and/or subject rolls.

• In primary and special schools, class rolls must be marked at the beginning of the school day and prior to the beginning of the afternoon session.
• In secondary schools, class rolls must be marked at the beginning of the school day and subject rolls marked for each lesson.
• Schools of distance education have different attendance requirements and their roll marking process should reflect these locally developed expectations.

The information collected about student attendance and absences must be recorded in the department’s OneSchool data management system. This is the official, complete record of information the department holds on student attendance and absences and must be maintained with current information. It includes data gathered from lists (e.g. registers, class rolls, sport rolls, excursion rolls) and records of alterations to a student’s educational program (e.g. flexible arrangements, part-time educational programs, suspensions, vocational education and training). It should also include current contact details of parents, and advice from parents about student attendance via letter, text message, email or records of conversations.

Responsibilities

Principals:

• establish roll marking practices that comply with legislative obligations and support student protection
• assign roll marking responsibilities to appropriate staff (assigned officers)
• assign the responsibility of entering data about student attendance and absences to appropriate staff (assigned officers)
• ensure there are processes in place that maintain OneSchool as the complete and current record of student attendance and absence information
• ensure that assigned officers understand and are able to carry out their responsibilities
• develop and document a communication process for parents to use when notifying the school of their child’s absence. Promote this process through the school’s website, newsletters and enrolment package
• ensure communications to parents are accessible (i.e. use plain English and arrange translations and language services as needed). Additional considerations may be required for parents who may have literacy difficulties and/or disability that impacts their ability to access written text
• communicate processes and procedures for ‘late arrival’ and ‘early departure’ to the school community through the school’s website and newsletters
• ensure parents are notified of an unexplained absence of their child as soon as practicable on the day of the student’s absence in accordance with the Managing student absences and enforcing enrolment and attendance at state schools procedure
• establish a process for keeping records of contact with parents regarding student absences
• determine whether explanations provided for student absences are (or are not) reasonable, and ensure that correct codes are used (see Table 2 – Absence reason codes for reasonable and unreasonable excuses)
• for schools operating in the community areas of Aurukun, Coen, Doomadgee, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge, ensure the Family Responsibilities Commission (FRC) School Attendance Guidelines are also considered when determining whether a reasonable excuse for a student’s absence has been provided

• monitor roll marking practices for completion, timeliness and accuracy

• strictly follow specific procedures for the Day 8 enrolment collection, as provided to schools at the beginning of each year.

Assigned officers:

For roll marking:

• ensure each student is marked as either present or absent from their educational program in the appropriate class and/or subject roll as per the process and schedule established by the principal
• initial and date rolls to certify the accuracy of their recorded data, or ensure there is an electronic record of this process (if using an electronic roll marking system)
• when a student is absent from a class, report the absence as soon as practicable in accordance with the school's processes
• send student attendance and absence information to the school office for data entry in accordance with the school's processes.

For data entry:

• generate lists from OneSchool (e.g. class rolls, sports rolls and excursion rolls) for the recording of student attendance and absences
• employ effective methods for checking other records to determine students' locations (e.g. sick bay or guidance officer registers, excursion and sporting lists, off-campus activities such as training and work experience)
• ensure the most appropriate absence reason code is assigned to each student absence in OneSchool using Table 1 - Absence codes for full or part day absence and Table 2 - Absence reason codes for reasonable and unreasonable excuses
• upload absence information into OneSchool each day if an electronic roll marking system is used, and at least every three days if hard copy rolls are used
• monitor, investigate and resolve student absence data inconsistencies using the OneSchool Inconsistent Class Absences function
• update OneSchool when parents advise the school of changes to their contact details.

Regional Directors/Delegate:

• monitor schools’ roll marking practices, and take action as appropriate.

Parents:

• ensure their child arrives at school on time and attends their educational program every school day
• provide their current contact details to the school to enable effective notification
• contact the school either before or on the day of an absence, or as soon as practicable, in accordance with the school's communication processes and provide an explanation (preferably in writing) for each absence
• notify the school if their child will be arriving late or leaving early using the school’s communication processes
• ensure their child follows the school’s processes and procedures for late arrival and early departure.

Independent and mature age students:

• provide current contact details to the school (for themselves and emergency contacts) to enable effective communication
• notify the school if they will be arriving late or leaving early using the school’s communication processes
• follow the school’s processes and procedures for late arrival and early departure
• contact the school either before or on the day of absence, or as soon as practicable, in accordance with the schools’ communication processes and provide an explanation (preferably in writing) for each absence.

Process

Flowchart: Roll marking in state schools process

Establish and communicate processes

Principals:

1. Establish processes for assigned officers to ensure each student is marked as either present or absent from their educational program:

• at the beginning of the school day and prior to the beginning of the afternoon session in primary and special schools
• at the beginning of the school day and for each lesson in secondary schools
• schools may use methods such as absentee slips that are completed, initialled and provided to the office for the purpose of reconciling student absences during the day.

2. Establish processes for assigned officers generating lists from OneSchool (e.g. class rolls, sport rolls and excursion rolls) to record student attendance and absences.
3. Ensure all rolls contain as a minimum: roll class; year; teacher’s name; student details including EQ identification number, year level and birth date; date (day, month and year) of each day to be marked; sufficient blank lines to accommodate additional students and space for the roll marker’s initials to certify accuracy of records.
4. Provide supply and relieving teachers with access to relevant class rolls, either hard copy or electronic.
5. Establish processes to ensure assigned officers enter student absence data into OneSchool each day if using an electronic roll marking system; and preferably each day, but at least every three days if using hard copy rolls, to ensure accuracy of stored information.
6. Ensure accuracy of OneSchool data entry and establish processes to ensure the assigned officers employ effective methods.
7. Establish processes to ensure assigned officers record all student absences in OneSchool using an appropriate code from Table 1 - Absence codes for full or part day absence, including records of late arrivals and early departures.
8. Establish processes to ensure assigned officers record all reasons for student absences in OneSchool using an appropriate reason code from Table 2 – Absence reason codes for reasonable and unreasonable excuses.
9. Communicate to parents the importance of contacting the school prior to any absences and to provide an explanation (preferably in writing) for each absence, either before or on the day of the absence, or as soon as practicable, in accordance with the school’s communication processes. This may take the form of:

• a medical certificate
• a written explanation provided to the school via a note, email or text message containing the student’s name, date of absence(s) and reasons for absence(s)
• a verbal explanation to the school through either a phone call or a visit to the school
• any other form of communication agreed by the principal.

10. Communicate to parents that if their child will be arriving late or leaving early, they are to notify the school using the recommended process e.g.:

• phoning the school
• emailing or sending a text message to the school
• providing the child with a signed and dated note.

11. Publish information outlining the expected processes for notifying the school of a student absence, late arrival or early departure on the school website (DoE employees only) on the Absentee/Absences Level 2 page that sits under the Our school/About us Level 1 page.
12. Where no explanation of an absence has been provided, ask the parent or the student (where they are independent, an adult, or where it would be inappropriate to ask the parent) for the reason for an unexplained absence.

Roll marking

Assigned officers:

1. Conduct roll marking as per the process and schedule established by the principal.
2. Use visual and verbal confirmation when recording whether a student is present or absent (i.e. call each student’s name, await a verbal response from the student and sight the student who provided the response).
3. For hard copy rolls, legibly record in black or blue ink whether a student is present or absent at a designated roll-marking session using consistent symbols (e.g. (/) for present and (a) for absent).
4. Ensure there are no blank cells in a completed roll.
5. Once completed, initial and date rolls to certify the accuracy of their sightings of student attendance and marking of student absence, or if using an electronic marking system ensure there is an electronic record of this process.
6. Where a student is absent from a class, report the absence as soon as practicable in accordance with the school’s procedures.
7. Send student attendance and absence information to the office for data entry in accordance with the school’s procedures.

Data entry/recordkeeping

Assigned officers:

1. Ensure the school calendar in OneSchool (DoE employees only) accurately reflects any non-school days (e.g. public holidays, local show holidays, pupil free days) as roll marking is not required on these days.
2. Generate lists from OneSchool (e.g. class rolls, sport rolls and excursion rolls) when required.

3. Employ effective methods for:

• checking lists such as sick bay registers, excursion lists, sporting lists and guidance officer registers
• accurately recording attendance and absences of students participating in off-campus activities such as training and work experience
• assigning appropriate codes to student absences using Table 1 – Absence codes for full or part day absence and Table 2 – Absence reason codes for reasonable and unreasonable excuses (refer to the Flowchart)
• making annotations during the checking process which do not alter the original roll marker’s record of attendance or absence (e.g. a dated and signed annotation on a hard copy roll or an electronic note)
• recording when a student arrives late for school or leaves early (noting the date and time), the date students are added to rolls, and the date when a student has moved class or left the school
• certifying the accuracy of records when using electronic roll marking systems.

4. Upload absence information to OneSchool each day if an electronic roll-marking system is used, and at least every three days if hard copy rolls are used.
5. Update OneSchool immediately when parents advise the school of changes to their contact details.
6. In an extreme weather event or natural disaster when the school has been closed, record the school closure in the OneSchool School Calendar by adding that date as a Non-School Day with a Day Type of ‘School Closure’ – refer to OneSchool (DoE employees only). Roll marking is not required on the day of the closure.
7. In an extreme weather event or natural disaster when the school is open but students are unable to attend, record the full or part-day absence using the absence reason code “N” (Natural disaster) regardless of whether or not the student is continuing with school work while away from school.
8. In OneSchool, ensure students:

• attending a hospital education program are allocated absence reason code “A” (School activity)
• that are unable to attend school because of a charge-related suspension, but are enrolled in a school of distance education or are in a youth detention centre, remain enrolled at their base school and are allocated absence reason code “B” (Attendance not required)
• that are unable to attend school due to a charge-related suspension, and are not enrolled in a school of distance education, are allocated absence reason code “Q” (Long suspension).

9. Override the absence reason code “U” (Unexplained) when a reason for an absence is subsequently given, using the most appropriate reason code and make an annotation in OneSchool if appropriate.
10. Routinely manage inconsistent class absence data using the Inconsistent Class Absences function in OneSchool (DoE employees only).
11. Refer to the Guidelines for recording attendance of students who:

• are enrolled, have not attended school for 15 or more consecutive school days, and cannot be contacted
• have been granted an exemption from schooling.

12. Establish processes for securely filing, storing and retaining all documentation in relation to student absences (e.g. notes, medical certificates, written records of conversations) in a suitable format, as per the Information asset and recordkeeping procedure.

Principals:

1. Seek clarification from the parent or the student (where the student is independent, an adult or where it would be inappropriate to ask the parent) if not reasonably satisfied about a reason given for an absence.

2. For schools operating in the community areas of Aurukun, Coen, Doomadgee, Hope Vale and Mossman Gorge, use the Family Responsibilities Commission (FRC) School Attendance Guidelines when managing student attendance.

Monitor practices

Principals:

1. Routinely monitor roll marking practices using OneSchool functions and reports. This can include:

• the Attendance data information panel on the principal's OneSchool home page (bottom right) that has an Unmarked Rolls heading which displays the number of unmarked rolls (roll and subject class) for the year to date. (NOTE: This will only appear if the school has year levels that are configured for OneSchool electronic roll marking.)
• the roll entry monitoring function that can be used to identify what electronic rolls in OneSchool have not yet been marked (at a set time of the day)
• the roll marking status report will identify daily attendance rolls that have not yet been marked/completed by teachers
• the unmarked rolls report that will set up a scheduled daily export (to be sent to the user's OneSchool homepage) identifying the class rolls not yet marked and the teacher responsible for the roll
• the Inconsistent Class Absences function (linked to roll markings and/or official absences) that allows users to investigate and resolve data inconsistencies in order to support accurate attendance data.

Regional Director/Delegate:

1. Use the OneSchool Performance Dashboard to monitor schools’ attendance management practices (e.g. regular upload of absence data into OneSchool) – refer to Attendance Monitoring Dashboard Explanatory Notes (DoE employees only). NOTE: Access to the Dashboard is supported at schools when using the Internet Explorer browser.

Definitions

Legislation

• Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (Qld) Chapter 9 Part 1, 2, 3 and 4, Chapter 10 Parts 1, 2, 3 and 4
• Education (General Provisions) Regulation 2017 (Qld) Part 4, Sections 20 to 23
• Family Responsibilities Commission Act 2008 (Qld) Part 4, Division 1, Section 40

Delegations/Authorisations

• Nil

Other resources

• Addressing school absenteeism
• Enrolment in state primary, secondary and special schools procedure
• Exemptions from compulsory schooling and compulsory participation procedure
• Family Responsibilities Commission school attendance guidelines
• Guide to using the OneSchool Dashboard – attendance monitoring (DoE employees only)
• Information asset and recordkeeping procedure
• Information privacy breach and privacy complaints procedure
• Information security procedure
• Managing student absences and enforcing enrolment and attendance at state schools procedure
• Part-time educational program guidelines (DoE employees only)
• Websites for Schools Help Portal (DoE employees only)

Superseded versions

Previous seven years shown. Minor version updates not included.

4.0       Roll Marking in State Schools

5.0       Roll marking in state schools