Attendance - what is the goal?
You are required to sign in at your morning and afternoon teaching sessions. Failure to do so will be classed as an Unauthorised Absence.
100% Authorised Attendance is mandatory. This is made up of a minimum of 70% actual ‘in the room’ attendances and a maximum of 30% ‘Authorised Absences’.
Any Unauthorised Absences will prevent you from reaching 100% and this will be raised at your ARCP at the end of the year.
These percentages account for the reality that there are reasons that teaching will be missed, whilst providing a target to receive as much structured classroom learning as possible.
Authorised Absence?
- Twilight shift*
- Zero hours**
- On call (Rota Co-ordinators will try to find cross cover when possible)
- Annual Leave
- Special Leave, i.e. attending a funeral
- Sick Leave
- Educational Leave (FY1 only)
- Study Leave (FY2 only)
To summarise, if you are expected to be at work that day, you are expected to be at teaching.
If your working shift is longer than the teaching day, you would start or finish work prior to or after the teaching, to complete your working hours.
*If you feel able to attend teaching following an early twilight shift and it doesn’t contravene your working hours total, you may want to attend all or part of your teaching session.
Reporting Authorised Absences
The above reasons are only validated if you tell the Foundation Programme Administrator in advance that you will be unable to attend the teaching. Failure to do so will result in an Unauthorised Absence noted on your HORUS portfolio.
You will know your teaching dates for the full year and the rotas are planned weeks in advance. The Rota Co-ordinators are aware of the teaching dates, but it is your responsibility to regularly double check regarding any potential clashes. If you have Annual Leave scheduled already, remember to tell us if it impacts upon your teaching.
Please email your reasons for Authorised Absences. Ensure we receive the message and you have proof of sending it, by using email.
What is an Unauthorised Absence?
There are two examples of Unauthorised Absences:
- You do not attend teaching due to a reason listed above, but don’t let us know prior to the start of the session (to allow time to inform the teaching host)
- You do not attend teaching, but not for a reason listed above (regardless of whether you let us know prior to the session)
What can you do?
Let us know in advance via email if you cannot make a teaching session (and the reason why).
Let us know if you are repeatedly being rota’d to work on teaching days. The Rota Co-ordinators are provided with a list of teaching dates at the start of the year and know to work your schedule accordingly.
Adhere to your scheduled working hours per week and keep yourself safe.
Queries…?
If you have a potential future absence that you’re not sure how to categorise, please get in touch in advance of the particular session and we’ll work it out.
If you are given an Unauthorised Absence for the reasons stated above, this will not be changed. Nor will any historical absences be changed.
REMEMBER - If you are expected to be at work that day, you are expected to be at teaching.
