Attendance

Your attendance throughout your course is important and we take non-attendance seriously. Each class maintains a daily attendance register, and we expect full punctuality and 100% attendance for the course.  You need to adhere to the attendance regulations as defined by the UK Border Agency.

 

Students who, for whatever reason, cannot attend their course by the scheduled date must inform the College in writing at least 2 weeks prior to the course start and provide a valid reason.  The maximum period allowed for late arrivals is no later than 2 weeks after the course starts.  If we do not receive any written notice from you regarding your late arrival, you will be reported as missing to the UK Border Agency within 10 days of your course start date.

 

Most of our courses are held over 3 days per week (minimum of 15 hours of supervised learning hours). Each morning or afternoon session counts as one expected contact with students. Therefore, over 3 days there will be 5 expected contacts.

 

The College records student attendance or non-attendance within 15 minutes of the start of each class in the morning and afternoon. Students are marked as follows:

 

P  Present (at start of session)

A Authorised Absence

U Unauthorised Absence

S Sick

L Late (Within 15 minutes of start of session)

H Holiday

 

Any student who turns up after the register has been taken will be marked as absent (Unauthorised Absence) for that particular contact. Further headcounts will be carried out randomly on daily basis.

 

If a student misses 3 contacts (1.5 days), they will be sent a warning letter. If a student misses 6 contacts, however they will be sent a final warning letter.

 

The College is required by law to report the attendance of international students to the UK Border Agency. The College will report non-attendance in the following circumstances:

 

 Attendance of below 80%, including absence due to lateness.

 Failure to enrol on a course or withdrawal from a course.

 Unauthorised absences of more than 2 consecutive weeks or 10 missed contacts.

 Change of course.

 Other significant circumstances that may affect their visa conditions.

 

In the case of 10 missed contacts without prior authorisation from the College, the student will be reported to the UK Border Agency. Further if the student’s attendance falls below 80% without good cause, they will be issued with a written reminder asking for an explanation.  If no valid reason is provided, a final warning letter will be issued. Students who fail to respond or do not provide a valid justification will be expelled from the College and reported to the UK Border Agency.

 

The College will report unauthorised absences and withdrawals to UK Border Agency in the above circumstances within 10 working days of their occurrence.  Where an appeal process applies, the College will inform UK Border Agency when this process is complete.

 

All genuine reasons for non-attendance must be reported or agreed in advance, as already outlined in this policy.  Medical evidence will be required for illnesses lasting longer than 3 days.

 

Late arrivals and non-attendance are taken very seriously. We will notify and advise students in writing. Persistent behaviour of this kind may result in termination of the course, and the UK Border Agency will be informed accordingly.

 

It is your responsibility to contact your Head of Department to catch up with work or assignments that you may have missed.

 

In the case of bereavement, students are allowed to take leave of absence with approval given by the College.  On arrival back in the UK, students will need to show authentic proof of the bereavement such as a death certificate or (certified copy) or a declaration by a notary public.

 

Religious Holidays

The College pursues a policy of respect for all faiths, religions and schools of thought; however we recognise and maintain only UK public holidays (see page 6).