Attendance Coding Reminder for Year 11 Pupils - Summer Term 2026

As we reach Friday 26 June 2026, the final day on which current Year 11 pupils remain of compulsory school age, we would like to remind secondary schools of the attendance coding requirements that should have been applied throughout the summer term and encourage schools to review their registers to ensure they accurately reflect statutory requirements. 

Attendance registers are legal documents and should reflect both the school's expectations of pupils and the actual circumstances for each session. 

Where Year 11 Pupils Were Expected to Attend 

Where Year 11 pupils were expected to attend school and did not attend, the absence should have been recorded using the appropriate attendance code for the reason provided. 

If no acceptable reason was provided, or the school did not agree that the reason given justified the absence, the sessions should have been recorded as Code O (unauthorised absence). 

Study Leave 

Where the school formally authorised study leave, Code S (study leave) could have been used for the relevant sessions. 

Schools are reminded that Code S can only be used where study leave has been authorised by the school and only up to and including the date on which the pupil had a public examination scheduled. It should not be used once a pupil has completed their final examination. 

Following a Pupil's Final Examination 

Once a pupil had completed their final public examination, Code S should no longer have been used. 

Where the school made a decision that pupils were not expected to attend school following completion of their final examination and up to and including Friday 26 June 2026, the appropriate code would generally have been Code C (leave of absence authorised by the school). 

Removal from Roll 

Following Friday 26 June 2026, Year 11 pupils are no longer of compulsory school age. Schools may therefore remove these pupils from roll in accordance with their usual end-of-Year 11 procedures and relevant regulations. 

Action for Secondary Schools 

We would ask all secondary schools to review the coding applied to Year 11 pupils during the summer term and satisfy themselves that it is accurate, reflects the school's expectations of pupils for each session and complies with statutory attendance requirements. 

In particular, schools should ensure that: 

• Code O has been used where pupils were expected to attend and no authorised reason for absence applied. 
• Code S has only been used where study leave was formally authorised and only up to and including days on which the pupil had a public examination. 
• Code C has been used where the school authorised pupils not to attend following completion of their final examination and before the end of compulsory school age. 

Where any inaccuracies are identified, schools should amend their registers accordingly. 

If you are unsure about the correct code to use in any circumstance, please contact the Attendance Team on 01603 223681 or by email at [email protected].