Meeting new attendance code requirements with online education
In light of the updated DfE guidance, Working Together to Improve School Attendance, this blog explores the changes to Code B and their impact on how schools use online education and track student engagement. It also highlights how Academy21 can help reduce absenteeism, boost engagement, and implement the DfE’s recommended support-first approach to education.
19.4% of pupils were persistently absent across UK schools in Autumn 2023/24 – an improvement from the year before when the rate sat at 24.2%. Progress certainly, however, the sector still faces challenges, with schools and local authorities having to think creatively and work tirelessly to re-engage students.
In response to these challenges, the Department for Education (DfE) updated its “Working Together to Improve School Attendance” in August 2024. Various attendance codes were revised to clarify how student engagement and participation are tracked and to guide educational institutions in using various support tools – from data dashboards and attendance champions to guidance for parents/carers and enforcement routes.
Among the various updates, the detail around Code B, ‘Attending any other approved educational activity,’ has introduced nuances to how attendance at online schools can be recorded. This naturally raises questions for schools using online education to support students with additional needs, medical needs and significant challenges.
As the leading online alternative provision specialist, Academy21 can help you adapt to these changes, ensuring you meet the new DfE guidance while offering your students flexible, high-quality, and DfE-approved education. To continue to support the incredible work schools and Local Authorities are doing, we have put together a short guide on the role of online education in attendance.
How to improve school attendance with Academy21
What do the attendance codes mean for schools using remote education?
The clarification of Code B in the updated DfE guidance now states that remote education should be recorded ‘using the most appropriate absence code,’ including authorised absence codes. This applies to any online education, whether DfE-accredited and utilising live teaching, like Academy21, or an unregistered online provision. Of course, if a student is completing their online learning in school, supervised by school staff, not at home, they would receive an attendance mark. However, it is important to stress that no remote learning done at home can currently be marked as attendance. Although at Academy21 we see hundreds of students unable to make it into physical school but enthusiastically attending our live teaching every day who are deserving of recognition for this attendance, it is important schools and LAs have accurate detail on the appropriate code to use.
Although the guidance impacts how remote learning is recorded, the DfE acknowledges the ongoing value of remote education, particularly for students unable to access traditional in-person learning environments.
To reassure schools, the DfE has shared in a sector update that although an absence code is to be used, “this does not prevent schools using remote learning if it’s in the pupil’s best interest”.
The DfE emphasises a support-first approach for students, clarifying that student wellbeing and quality of learning should always be the priority.
Indeed the DfE’s Sector Comms webinar makes clear that schools ‘…won’t be looked on unfavourably for having the correct absence codes. This important recognition means schools can be confident in choosing remote education when appropriate for their students, knowing the DfE has made clear that under a support first approach the focus of support should be on the student’s best interest, not what is recorded in the attendance register.
Navigating remote education with Academy21
As an accredited online alternative provision provider under the DfE’s Online Education Accreditation Scheme (OEAS), Academy21 enables schools and local authorities to provide students with a high-quality education while being adaptive and supportive of their needs.
Schools and local authorities who use Academy21 benefit from our flexible commissioning options, fully adaptable schedule, tailored provision that can be easily scaled up and down, and excellent customer service.
Meanwhile, their students can access live, adaptive lessons and personalised support to reignite their love for learning and achieve the best outcomes for them. But our fully online environment allows us to go beyond these services.
Indeed, our DfE Accreditation really underlines this, with our OFSTED report noting that we have a:
On-site attendance with online learning
Academy21’s flexible model allows students to access high-quality, real-time online learning while physically located at their mainstream school. Schools can set up a dedicated space or classroom where their students access Academy21’s online live lessons. Under this scenario, students would be marked as ‘present’ as with any student on site, as they are physically supervised in school.
This model also helps ensure that students remain integrated into their school environment and connected with their teachers and peers. This enables a smoother reintegration into full-time mainstream education. 90% of our clients agree or strongly agree that Academy21 supports reintegration, respite, and transition back to education.
Reducing persistent absenteeism
Quality alternative online provision like Academy21 can effectively increase engagement and attendance levels. Academy21 leverages cutting-edge technology like InspiredAI and communication tools like chat pods, along with dedicated teacher support, to build up student engagement, make them more motivated to attend classes and learn new things, and make them more confident about speaking up and participating in class activities.
Between the spring and summer terms of 2024, we sampled students at Academy21 and over 230 students had achieved attendance of over 90% in our classes, with these students no longer being persistently absent from education. Additionally, 91% of students state they have more confidence in their learning now that they study with us.
Supporting students with complex needs
The DfE’s guidance emphasises a support-first approach. Therefore, it is crucial to focus on addressing the barriers faced by students with medical conditions, mental health challenges, or special educational needs and disabilities (SEN) before considering how attendance is tracked.
Academy21 is best placed to support students with a wide range of needs, providing tailored teaching, dedicated SEN support, and a range of additional wellbeing and academic courses to help students become happier individuals. Attending lessons remotely and accessing class recordings 24/7 also allows students with special needs to put their wellbeing and health first, ensuring they can recover smoothly. This, in turn, will improve their learning and engagement.
Addressing collaboration requirements
The DfE guidance emphasises the importance of collaboration between schools, local authorities, and external partners to support student attendance and address persistent absenteeism. As part of this push for improved collaboration, schools must share attendance data regularly with local authorities, particularly for students with persistent or severe absences.
Academy21’s online alternative provision helps schools meet these obligations by offering tools to monitor and track student attendance in real-time. In their user-friendly Mentor Portal, schools and LAs can access daily reporting on their students’ effort, understanding, engagement, grades, and teacher feedback. This enables them to monitor student progress effectively and efficiently and share these metrics with the relevant institutions and the student’s parents.
"The provider works very effectively with placing schools and local authorities. Commissioners highlighted the strengths of partnership working in terms of responding quickly to the needs of pupils. Commissioning schools and local authorities value the quality and regularity of the information they receive about the pupils they place at Academy21. They praise the responsiveness of the service they receive. In conversation, one official told inspectors, ‘I am confident that they wouldn’t take on a new pupil if they couldn’t meet that pupil’s needs. They are not in the business of setting up a young person to fail." Ofsted report, 2024
Students first: Navigating the latest attendance updates with confidence
The 2024 updates to the DfE’s attendance guidance, particularly the changes to Code B, may present challenges for schools using or considering online alternative provisions. However, it’s crucial to note that the DfE prioritises support for students’ needs above what is entered into the register.
Academy21 can work closely with you to adapt to the updated guidance, ensuring your students’ engagement and attendance are tracked correctly. Most importantly, our provision supports students with varying needs in re-engaging with their learning, improving their wellbeing, and achieving positive academic outcomes. If you would like to discuss more about how Academy21 can support your students, get in touch with our team below.
