International College Dundee Attendance policy

This policy applies to your Stage 1 study at Dundee International College (ICD). For policy relating to Stage 2 of your course at the University of Dundee please refer to the University of Dundee’s Attendance Monitoring Policy

General

Student attendance at timetabled sessions such as lectures, tutorials, workshops and seminars is expected and is compulsory. There is a proven link between student progress and performance and their level of attendance: the better your attendance, the better your academic progress will be. The attendance level in a group also affects other members of that group as well as individuals who do not attend.

Attendance registers are completed for all lessons. If students are absent without prior notification, they will be contacted and asked to explain their absence. Persistent absence could have many consequences, including withdrawal of sponsorship and your programme of studies being terminated.

In order to continue onto stage 2 of your chosen degree course at Dundee University, an attendance record of at least 80% is the normal expectation.

Sometimes, absence may be unavoidable or for a good reason. In these cases it is expected that students contact the ICD Administration Manager before the absence occurs (where at all possible).

We know that your first few weeks in the UK can be very busy with arranging accommodation and opening bank accounts, but please try to book any appointments outside of your timetabled lessons.

In the event of illness, students are encouraged to provide a note from a GP surgery or another medical facility as evidence of genuine illness. If an absence owing to illness continues for more than five consecutive days then a medical note is required.

If a student needs to leave the UK, during term or non-term time, the student must contact the ICD Administration Manager with full details as soon as possible. . It is extremely important that students do not leave the UK without first informing us.

Student Absence

For all lessons, ICD Tutors complete a Student Attendance Register. The registers are kept in the ICD main office where they are collected from and returned to daily, by the tutors. At the bottom of each register, there is a list of symbols, which are used when completing the registers. The ICD Administration Manager oversees the production, maintenance, completion and collation of registers.

From week one, student attendance is monitored by ICD in order to help students succeed in their studies and identify any problems, with a view to offering help and support. ICD uses the following formal system, as the minimum requirements, for dealing with student absence:

• Tutors complete the attendance register in all classes.
• For Tier 4 purposes, registration at a morning or afternoon session at the college constitutes a fulfilled expected contact. Failure to register at all during a term-time working day will constitute a missed expected contact.
• ICD Administration collates all of the attendance information from the registers onto a single spreadsheet once per week. The spreadsheet is reviewed weekly to check for any extended periods of student absence.
• Students who miss two consecutive days of classes, without first notifying the Administration Manager with a valid explanation, will be contacted, by email, to notify them that their absence has been noted and that attendance of lessons is a College expectation.
• In the event the College weekly review reveals a student with five consecutive days of unannounced absences, a meeting will be required with a ICD member of staff to explain the absence. The absence and the reasons for it will be recorded by ICD.
• In the event the college weekly review reveals a student with three or four consecutive days of unannounced absences, the student will be contacted, by email, to notify them that their absence has been noted and that attendance of lessons is a college expectation and will be placed on a ‘watch list’ to ensure they do not reach five consecutive absences before the next weekly meeting.
• In the event of a later, second period of five consecutive unannounced absences being observed in the same term, a meeting will be required with the ICD Director, or their representative, to explain the absence. The absence and the reasons for it will be recorded by ICD. Should this mean the student has amassed a period of 10 consecutive days absence, and no satisfactory reason for the absence is provided within 10 working days of the 10th absence, sponsorship for that student will be withdrawn, where applicable. The student will not be permitted to attend the college after the 10th consecutive day’s absence until a satisfactory reason for the absence is received.
• For students who fail to provide a satisfactory explanation for a later, third period of five consecutive unannounced absences in one term, a decision will be made as to whether to withdraw the student from their programme of study.
• Students who provide satisfactory explanations for absences will be offered or directed to support and guidance to help ensure that their studies get back on track.
• Students who regularly miss classes, yet their absences do not trigger any of the above responses, will be contacted by the college and supported to improve their attendance. Failure to improve attendance may result in them being withdrawn from their programme of study.
• Necessary agencies (for example, the UKVI) will be informed where required.

In practice, ICD will aim to intervene in instances of poor attendance earlier than the above timeframes.

Sometimes, absence may be unavoidable or for a good reason. In these cases it is expected that students contact the ICD Reception before the absence occurs (where at all possible).

In the event of illness, students must provide an appropriate note from a GP surgery or another medical facility as evidence of genuine illness. Failure to do so will result in attendance being recorded as notified, but not authorised.

Attendance during Assessment Week

Due to the number of assessments which are usually completed in week ten of a ten week term, during which time classes are often replaced by workshops or assessed presentation sessions, attendance is recorded but does not contribute to overall student attendance figures.

Lateness

If a student is more than 10 minutes late for a lesson, they will not be able to enter the classroom, until after the next break. If there is no further opportunity to join the class, students more than ten minutes late will be recorded as absent.

Under-18s Registration

ICD has a small number of students aged under-18, these students are required to attend registration each weekday in reception just before their first class. The Administration Manager is responsible for keeping a record of attendance. If a student does not attend then s/he, or her/ his representative, contacts them.

Contacting Parents of Students Aged Under-18

ICD recognises it has a duty to keep parents of students aged under 18 informed of their progress and attendance. Parents are contacted when poor attendance has an impact on the child’s studies.