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Apex College

Student Attendance Policy

1. Purpose The student attendance policy applies to all students who are on the student record system (Class) of Apex College. As such, this Attendance Policy applies to all United Kingdom, European Union and overseas students.

2. Importance of student attendance Apex College is committed to promoting and enhancing student engagement and participation with their programme of studies. Regular attendance at all formally scheduled teaching classes and tutorial sessions is a very important factor in ensuring that students make satisfactory progress with their academic studies. Attendance at classes helps ensure that students cover and understand the learning outcomes of the modules that make up their course of study. Students are required to attend all lessons, lectures, seminars or tutorials, test examinations, work placements (where appropriate), supervision sessions with their project/dissertation supervisor, and any other formally scheduled teaching sessions or classes related to their course of study. Apex College takes attendance records for all scheduled teaching sessions and any absence by a student is recorded and followed up. Students who know in advance that they may not be able to attend scheduled teaching sessions for good reasons, for example, medical appointment, family bereavement, are required to request leave of absence by completing a Request for Exceptional Leave of Absence Form. The request will be considered and decided by the Vice Principal or Programme Director. Apex College has produced a flow chart and Student Guide to help students through the procedure.

3. Attendance requirements The attendance requirements students must attain are based on three factors:

• First, Apex College believes that regular attendance is vital for a student to make academic progress with their studies

• Second, for overseas students the UKVI specifies certain levels of attendance for those who hold a Student Visa.

• Third, some awarding/accrediting bodies specify guidance on minimum standards of attendance.

The following therefore applies:

(a) Any student who misses 10 consecutive contact points (lectures or

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coursework) will have their Tier 4 sponsorship (in the case of non-EU students) or registration withdrawn (in the case of UK/EU students). Warning letters or e-mails will be sent to the student, but withdrawal will be automatic after 10 consecutive missed contact points.

(b) Any student whose overall attendance in a semester falls below 80% will have their Tier 4 sponsorship or registration withdrawn. A formal warning letter will be sent half way through the semester if attendance is below 80%, but withdrawal will be automatic if attendance is below 80% at the end of the semester. If a student’s overall attendance is satisfactory but their attendance in any part of the course (for example module or unit) is below 70% they will be required to retake that part at the next available semester.

(c) Notwithstanding (b), any overseas student who at any time in a semester has such a poor attendance record that they will not be able to meet the 80% attendance requirement will have their Tier 4 sponsorship or registration withdrawn immediately.

(e) If a student arrives up to 20 minutes late for a class, he/she will be recorded as Late Arrival. If a student arrives more than 20 minutes late for a class he or she will be marked as ‘absent’ for that session. If a student leaves a class more than 20 minutes before it is scheduled to end the student will be marked as ‘left early’ for the whole session with a precise record of the time that the student left or failed to return to the class.

(f) Students will not be granted holiday periods at any time during a semester or outside their designated semester breaks. The only exceptions are where absence is due to medical reasons, which must be supported by written evidence from a qualified medical practitioner, or for emergencies involving close family or partners, again supported by written evidence from an official source. All the supporting documents must be in English or translated into English by a certified translator. Whilst these exceptions will not count against attendance, Apex College reserves the right to consider the length of the absence and to determine, in the context of academic progression, what the student must do to compensate for the period of absence, which may involve repeating all or part of the course.

4. Attendance Monitoring Systems

Apex College uses an electronic database to record and monitor student attendance. The systems operate as follows:

• The database will produce student registers for each and every scheduled teaching session for a module or unit of a course.

• Student attendance is manually recorded on a register and then transferred to an electronic data base.

• Students who arrive over 20 minutes after the scheduled class start time will be marked as Late Arrival. Once the attendance records have been entered on the electronic database nobody has the authority to amend them, with the exception of the Head of Administration. This will only be done if the student can show conclusively that an error has been made or that the students has an authorised absence (see below) or the student was absent for medical reasons (which must be supported by a certificate

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from a medical practitioner) or there was an emergency involving the student or a close relative or partner (again supported by evidence from an official source). Exceptions because of problems with the transport system will be considered based on verifiable evidence or where the problem is one experienced generally. In all cases the evidence should be given to the Head of Administration, through email, a telephone call or a meeting.

Note: A manual record is taken in all classes using a circulated form and a register by the lecturer. This is also used for the purposes of Health and Safety in the event of an emergency evacuation. It provides a record of anyone who is in a particular room at any time.

5. Attendance Monitoring

Apex College has a system of letters or e-mails which are designed to warn students if their attendance is likely not to meet the Attendance Policy. These letters or e-mails are of two types:

1. Reminders of the need to attend

2. Formal warning letters which require the student to contact the College immediately to explain their absences. A Second Formal Warning Letter is issued immediately prior to removing the student’s name from the register and for non-EU students withdrawal of sponsorship and informing the UKVI.

The pattern of sending out letters or e-mails may vary but generally is as follows: in the event that a student has been absent for three (3) consecutive contact points a letter will be sent to remind him or her of the need to attend.

If the student does not attend five (5) consecutive contact points, a First Formal Warning Letter will be issued. This requires the student to contact the College at the earliest opportunity to provide an explanation regarding absences.

Failure to attend nine (9) consecutive classes will result in a Second Formal Warning Letter, which requires the student to attend immediately. If the student does not do this, their name will be removed from the register and sponsorship withdrawn immediately after the tenth (10) missed consecutive contact point. If from the start of a semester a student has missed three contact points, they will be warned about their attendance.

If at any point during a semester a student’s attendance is such that their overall attendance could not be above 90%, they will be sent a First Formal Warning Letter. Following this a Second Formal Warning Letter will be sent when their attendance is such that their overall attendance could not be above 85%.

If the student’s attendance does not improve and their overall possible attendance is such that their overall attendance could not reach 80%, their name will be removed from the register and, for overseas students, sponsorship withdrawn.

The following should be noted:

• All letters and e-mails will be sent to the addresses given by the student. It is the responsibility of the student to ensure that the College always has the correct addresses. Failure keep the College updated with addresses will not be accepted as an excuse.

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• In general, students should monitor their own attendance and not rely on information being sent to them by the College, they may however seek information from the Head of Administration.

• The College will not accept any further applications from any suspended student.

• Assessment Boards may, in certain instances, request a student’s attendance record.

6. Exceptional Authorised absence Apex College operates a policy and procedure for all requests for exceptional authorised absence from scheduled teaching/tutorial/supervision sessions. Students must ensure that a request for exceptional authorised absence is made in advance. Requests for exceptional authorised absence can only be considered jointly by the Vice-Principal and Programme Director. For Tier 4 students the Head of Administration will discuss the request with the Vice Principal. In the absence of the Vice-Principal and the Programme Director, the only other person who can consider a student request for an Exceptional Authorised Absence is the Principal. To request exceptional absence of the student must complete the Request for Exceptional Authorised Absence Form and give this, with supporting independent evidence, to the Head of Administration who will discuss the student’s request with the Vice-Principal. A Tier 4 student who is intending to go abroad when their request for exceptional authorised absence has been approved by the College must supply the College with the flight ticket and entry stamp before any letter can be issued by the College to the student. If a student is granted exceptional authorised absence this may have an impact upon their ability to hand in coursework according to the stated deadline. This may especially be the case when the exceptional authorised absence is in the second half of the semester with deadlines for handing in coursework at the end of the semester. Students must read the Extenuating Circumstances Policy and Procedure and complete the Extenuating Circumstances Form when requesting an extension to a coursework deadline. Where an exceptional authorised absence is granted in the first half of a semester the student will be expected to catch up on their studies upon their return and not make a request for an extension to a coursework deadline. Students who are absent from scheduled teaching without prior authorisation will be asked to explain their absence and provide appropriate supporting evidence. Where a student has not sought approval for an absence he or she should contact the Head of Administration. All Tier 4 students must contact the Head of Administration before their return to the UK and provide evidence to support the reason(s) for the absence. UK Students should contact the Head of Administration upon their return. A Tier 4 student who has been abroad without the absence being authorised must provide evidence concerning the unauthorised absence before their return to the UK. Failure to do this will result in the College not supplying a student with a letter to enable their return to the UK. 5.2 The following may be considered as providing an acceptable reason for exceptional absence and be classified as an ‘exceptional authorised absence’:

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• A medical appointment that could not be made outside of scheduled

teaching/tutorial sessions • Attendance at a funeral or wedding of a close family member (for example,

parent, grandparent sibling) supported by relevant documents in the English language or translated into English by a certified translator

• Severe travel disruption that prevents a student from getting to the college by any means of transport

• Genuine family emergencies • Illness supported and evidenced by a formal medical certificate such as a

doctor’s note The following would not normally be considered as a reason for an exceptional authorised absence:

• Holidays taken during the semester (these will not be permitted) • Party or celebration event • Work related activities • Leisure activities • Babysitting • Driving lessons or driving test • Death of a pet

7. Extended absence – more than three weeks If a student is absent for genuine reasons due, for example, to an extended illness, for longer than three weeks the student will have their studies suspended. This will mean that the student may need to repeat, with attendance, the modules/units for the semester of the extended absence when Apex College next offers the modules/units. It is hoped that this will normally be the next semester, however, Apex College cannot guarantee this will be the case. Absence of longer than three weeks may result in the student being withdrawn from their course of studies. Students should note that an application for a request for an extended absence may be refused by Apex College if a student has outstanding debt to the College, a poor attendance record or, in the case of Tier 4 students, does not meet UKVI compliance by, for example, not providing a copy of their visa to Apex College. A student who takes an extended absence is required to continue to meet their obligations to Apex College in respect of payment of fees according to any agreed payment plan with the College. 8. Punctuality Students are expected to arrive punctually for every teaching and tutorial session. Late arrival of students to a class can disrupt the rest of the class and result in the loss of valuable teaching and student learning time. Persistent lateness will be followed up with the student and their punctuality will be expected to improve. If a student is late for a justifiable reason the lecturer may allow the student to attend the teaching/tutorial session and be marked as ‘late arrival’. Students are expected to attend the whole of the scheduled teaching/tutorial session and should not leave early. If some emergency occurs then the student, with the permission of the tutor or the Head of Administration, may be allowed to leave early.

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Leaving early will be recorded as absent by the tutor and the Head of Administration. Permission to leave early is to be regarded as exceptional. Students who have child care duties or other family/domestic commitments must ensure that these are covered on a week-to-week basis to allow full attendance at each scheduled teaching session. 9. Withdrawal of a student from their course study A student may be withdrawn from their course of study as indicated above. If a student fails to respond to a formal written letter about absence and continues to be absent from teaching/tutorial sessions the student will be withdrawn from his or her course of study. The Student Loans Company or the UKVI and the awarding body, will be informed, as appropriate, of the student withdrawal. Other documents 1. Student flow chart 2. Guide for students 5. Request for exceptional leave of absence form 6. Return from authorised leave of absence/exceptional leave of absence form 7. Unauthorised leave of absence form DoQE 30 December 2015 Version 1.3