Textbooks 2012

Textbook Lists 2012

Absentee Policy

1. The Class Register
(i) The class register is a daily record of attendance of learners at lines, where roll-call will
be taken by the register teacher at 7:50 and 14:15 each day. On rainy days and on a
Monday and Thursday afternoon, learners will go to the class room of the register teacher
where roll-call will be taken by the register teacher. On Tuesday and Thursday test days,
roll call will be taken prior to the commencement of the test by the register teacher or
nominated teacher in the registration room of the teacher. Attendance records are done on
prepared class lists (with instructions), and

transferred to electronic storage by a member
of the administration staff.
(ii) Registration attendance lists are to be returned to the collection point immediately after
registration, at the end of the test session on a Tuesday and Thursday or after classroom
registration.
(iii) A record of the daily absence of boys and girls will be recorded by the absentee secretary
in the school administration system for daily attendance. The register will be stored
electronically.
(iv) The School Quarterly Return on Learner Attendance will be populated from the records
in an electronic version of the class register.

2. Latecomers
(i) Latecomers must report to reception. A late note will be issued to the learner who must
show this to the relevant subject teacher in that lesson of arrival. The subject teacher in
that lesson must indicate the date and time of arrival in class and sign the late note. The
learner must hand the note to the register teacher at the end of the day. The register
teacher will complete the daily Class Register accordingly. The absentee secretary will
email a list of absentees to staff by the first break of each day.

3. Absenteeism
(i) When a learner is absent, a note explaining why the learner was absent must be handed to
the register teacher immediately upon return to school.
(ii) The absentee letter will be filed by the teacher in the class register file.
(iii) Parents may email the register teacher the reason for the absence.
(iv) A medical certificate must be provided if a learner misses a standardized test, an
examination or a test contributing to the year mark, The certificate must state the actual

dates on which the learner was absent.

4. Following up learner absence
If a learner is absent for three consecutive school days without explanation, the register teacher
concerned must report the absence to the grade head. The register teacher must, as soon as
possible, make reasonable effort to contact the parent by whatever means are suitable given the
circumstances of the school and of the family concerned.
If the learner is absent without valid reason for three consecutive school days, this must be
reported to a member of the senior management team who must-
(i) inform the parent of the importance of regular attendance
(ii) emphasize the learner’s duty to attend punctually and regularly in terms of the school’s
code of conduct for learners
(iii) if the learners is of compulsory school-going-age, inform the parent of the legal
implications of section 3 of SASA
(iv) inform the parent of the risk of the learner’s record in the class register being cancelled
for continuous absence
(v) request the learner’s return to school
(vi) where necessary, elicit the support of the district office and
(vii) where necessary, elicit intervention from government or non-government social
development agencies.

If despite the intervention of the school, a learner persists in being absent without valid reason-

(i) the learner must be charged with breach of the school’s code of conduct for learners; or
(ii) the learner’s record in the class register must be cancelled if the learner is absent for 10
consecutive school days.

5. Cancellation of a learner’s record in a class register
(i) Cancellation of a learner’s record in a class register is an administrative action, not a
disciplinary action. It is not the same as suspension or expulsion in terms of section 9 of
SASA.
(ii) A learner’s record in a class register may be cancelled for one of the following reasons:

Exemption from compulsory school attendance.

Expulsion.

Transfer to another school.

Registration for home education.

Continuous absence.

Notification by a parent that the learner will not return to school; or

Death of the learner.

(iii) If a learner is absent from school for 10 consecutive school days the principal must make
reasonable attempts to ascertain from the learner’s parent whether the learner has been
withdrawn from the school. If the learner has been withdrawn, or if no valid reason for
absence is given, or if the principal is unable to make contact with the parent or the
learner, the principal must cancel the learner’s record in the class register on grounds of
continuous absence.
(iv) A female learner’s record may not be cancelled on the grounds that she is pregnant or
has given birth.
When a learner’s record is cancelled, the principal must in writing

(v) inform the parent and the register teacher of the date of and the reason for the
cancellation; and
(vi) if the learner is of compulsory school-going age, inform the district office of the date of
and reason for the cancellation.
If a learner’s record has been cancelled and the learner is later readmitted to the school, the
school administrator must make a new entry for the learner in the class register.

6. Valid reasons for absence
(i) Study leave taken by a Grade 12 learner. Except for Grade 12 learners, a learner may not
take leave from school to study for examinations or when examinations have ended.
Grade 12 learners may take 5 school day’s study leave to prepare for the NSC
examinations before the first day of the NSC examinations. Such learners need not attend
school on days when they do not write examinations and after writing each examination.
(ii) Physical or psychological illness, for which a principal may require communication from
the parent that the learner is unable to attend school or written confirmation by a
registered medical practitioner if the illness lasts longer than three days.
(iii) Giving birth, subject to written confirmation by a registered medical practitioner or
registered midwife.
(iv) Religious or cultural observances approved by the SGB in terms of the National School
Calendar Policy.
(v) Death of a family member.
(vi) Appointment at court, social services or other official agency, for which a principal may
require documentary proof.
(vii) Suspension by the SGB.
(viii) Acts of nature (that is, events that are beyond human control).
(ix) Exceptional circumstances for which, in the view of the principal, a temporary absence
from school is in the best interest of the learner or was unavoidable.
(x) Absence without a valid reason is unacceptable and will be followed up promptly.

7. Illness at school
(i) If a learner is feeling ill, he or she must report to the Discipline Control Room where the
illness complaint will be recorded electronically. A form must be completed by the
teachers of the lessons being missed by the learner and once that has been completed, the
grade head will sign the form.
(ii) The learner will then report to Reception, hand the form in and his or her parents will be
contacted to take the learner home.
(iii) If the learner is desperately ill, the discipline deputy will sign the form and the parents
will be contacted immediately.

8. Truancy
    Truancy is a serious offence and will be dealt with severely as a level 2 offence in
    accordance with the Fairmont High School Code of Conduct for learners. If a learner
   does not report for morning registration, a message will be sent via sms to the parentinforming the parent of the absence from registration. It is the responsibility of the subject teacher or substitute teacher to check for and report acts of truancy.

9. The Period Register
(i) This register is subject teacher based and is an official record of the learner’s attendance
at every lesson of a day.
(ii) Recording of the attendance of learners at each lesson will be carried out electronically
by the subject teacher in the teaching venue of the subject teacher at the beginning of
each lesson. The template to be completed will be provided by the school management.
(iii) Where a teacher is absent, it will be the responsibility of the substitute teacher to
electronically record the attendance of the learners for the lesson during which the
teacher is substituting. The electronic registers will be available on the Staff Share Drive.
(iv) Records of the Period Register will be recorded and maintained electronically.

10. Summary Register
(i) The summary register is a working document for internal use by the school.
(ii) At the end of each week, an electronic report will be available of the total daily class
attendance of boys and girls. This task is automated by the school administration system.
(iii) The Summary Registers must be completed from information obtained from the class
registers on a weekly basis until the end of the quarter.
(iv) The daily period attendance of each grade will be recorded on the Staff Share Drive.
(v) The absentee secretary will print the summary register at the end of each week. The
accuracy will be checked, verified and signed off by the grade head for filing in the DCR.

11. Temporary Register
(i) A temporary register may be used for no longer than 10 consecutive school days, starting
on the first day of term, while class lists are being finalized.
(ii) Temporary class registers must be maintained in the same manner as a class register in
terms of this policy.
(iii) When the 10 day lifespan of a temporary class register has lapsed, the data must be
copied into the electronic class register.

12. Electronic administration
In keeping with recording attendance data electronically, teachers and administrative staff;
(i) may use a class register to record daily learner attendance, or may print out a class list
from the school’s electronic administration system for use by a class teacher
(ii) must ensure that attendance data is captured on the electronic administration system on a
daily basis
(iii) must ensure that a hard copy of the attendance record of each class is generated monthly
for the previous month, signed by the principal, and filed for audit purposes; and
(iv) must ensure that the quarterly attendance returns are generated
(v) Any attendance record or return generated by an electronic administration system is an
official document of the WCED.

13. Responsibilities
Responsibilities of the Register Teacher

Seating the boys and girls at lines in the register class in separate rows in alphabetical order.

Taking roll call at lines and marking the register sheet in accordance with the register sheet instructions.

Returning the clipboard and register sheet to the basket for the grade head to return to the collection point.

Being on time to take morning and afternoon registration in the register class when it rains or at Tuesday/Thursday tests and on Monday and Thursday class registration periods.

Returning the registration clipboard to the collection point immediately after the registration period or the Tuesday/Thursday tests.

Informing the grade head when a learner is absent without explanation for three consecutive days and cases of repeated absence.

Responsibilities of the Subject teacher

Marking the period register. This will be carried out electronically. Each subject teacher will have on the Staff Share Drive an electronic register in the form of a spreadsheet for the classes they teach.

At the commencement of the period, roll call will be taken and the absentees recorded on the spreadsheet.

To check absentees and truants and report to the grade head.

Responsibilities of the Learners

To attend school punctually and regularly.

Except of Grade 12 learners, a learner may not take leave from school to study for examinations or when examinations have ended.

The RCL should contribute to the development and application of the School policy on Learner Attendance and

Inform the SMT of any known reasons for poor attendance.

Responsibilities of Parents

To ensure that the learner attends school daily, on time and for the whole school day, unless there is a valid reason for absence.

To ensure that the learner is not taken out of school without valid reason (Family holidays are not a valid reason).

Inform the principal or register teacher if the learner is absent or expected to be absent or expected to be late for school, either in writing or by emailing the learner’s register teacher at the earliest.