3 types of absences are authorized during distance learning in private schools in Abu Dhabi

The Department of Education and Knowledge has identified three types of absences authorized during the implementation of distance learning, including: medical cases, family emergencies, and documented travel. In these cases, the school makes recordings of missed classes available to the student (if any), noting that the procedures for dealing with unjustified absence include, in the event of a student being absent from a class, sending a message to both the student and the guardian within 30 minutes of the end of the class, and if the student is absent for an entire school day, the guardian must be contacted.

In detail, the Department of Education and Knowledge confirmed that holding students’ families responsible for monitoring their children’s attendance is one of the most negative patterns in distance learning, as the guardian should not be the first point of contact when the student does not enter the class. The school has a professional and organizational responsibility to follow up before communicating with the parent.

Basic principle

The department explained in the new distance learning policy that the school must take a number of measures within the response protocol for non-attendance, and communication with the guardian takes place only after the school has exhausted its follow-up channels, and this applies to all educational levels (except for pre-kindergarten/pre-first stage)FS1) until third grade/fourth year, where parents must also be informed). The only exception is in student safety emergencies — when there is reason to believe a student may be in danger — where the parent will be contacted immediately by phone, regardless of previous steps.

Responding to no-shows

The department indicated that schools must follow a number of procedures to manage and communicate students’ non-attendance at the class level, including: If a student is late for class, the school may send him a message through the school’s official platform. For pre-kindergarten/pre-first stage students (FS1) Until the third grade/fourth year, the school must also communicate with the parent when writing to the student. In the event that the student is absent from a class, the school must send a message to both the student and the parent within 30 minutes of the end of the missed class, using official communication channels. If the student misses 3 or more classes, or an entire school day, the school must contact the parent at the end of the school day. If any student misses 5 or more classes during a moving period of 10 days — regardless of whether Each absence is handled separately — it is listed on the at-risk student register if the parent cannot be contacted.

Authorized absences

The department identified 3 types of authorized absences, including: medical cases, family emergencies, and documented travel, and they are dealt with by the parent or student notifying the school before the absence (or within two hours of the start of the school day in unexpected emergency cases), and the class teacher recording the authorized absence in the student information system (SIS), and the teacher should ensure that recordings of missed classes (if any) are available.

Students at risk

She warned that non-attendance is not only a daily occurrence, but rather a behavioral pattern that must be followed. The school’s Student Welfare Officer is responsible for monitoring attendance trends, not just individual incidents, noting that any student who misses 5 or more classes during a moving period of 10 days – regardless of whether each absence is dealt with separately – is included in the At-Risk Students Register, provided that any student listed in this register is subject to a mandatory individual follow-up session (1:1) with the Student Welfare Officer within two school days from the date of his inclusion, and the At-Risk Students Register must be reviewed by the school principal. The beginning of each school week, so that any new entries from the previous week are discussed, and the required procedures are determined before the start of the week.

The department revealed that it compares the daily attendance data provided by schools, via its weekly attendance monitoring dashboard, to determine which schools are witnessing a decline in overall attendance week after week. The school’s distance learning official will be contacted directly if this pattern is determined.