You are here: Home » Students » Yeovil College Students' Parents » Attendance Procedures

Attendance Procedures

Students cannot succeed on college courses unless they attend all their lectures and tutorials.  Poor attendance is often a major factor when students drop out of college or fail to achieve so we would ask for your help monitoring poor attendance.

How the College tracks attendance
Registers are taken at every lecture and tutorial and these are fed into the college information system.  Lecturers, Tutors and Faculty Directors, therefore, have access to a complete record of student attendance.  These records are regularly checked to identify students whose attendance is becoming a problem.

The college employs an attendance officer, who may telephone you at home to chase up students who are missing from lectures.  If you are not at home to take the call, a letter will be sent informing you of the absence. A letter will also be sent to you if a student signs out of college during the day due to illness.
It is obviously important that the college is informed of any genuine illness or other reasons why students are not able to attend.

What parents should do when a student is unable to attend

• Please ensure that the college is informed on the first day of an illness or other enforced absence.  You should do this by telephoning the special absence line as early as possible in the morning.  
• The information will then be passed on to the student’s tutor and lecturing staff.  Please do not try to inform tutors or lecturers directly – the attendance officer will ensure that all relevant staff are informed and that proper records are kept.

The Attendance Phone Number is: 01935 845365
Office Hours 8.15 am – 4.45 pm, Voice mail at other times

If a student knows in advance that they are going to miss lectures owing to medical appointments or college trips they will need to fill out a permission to be absent slip, available from the Attendance Office.  Permission for absence will not be given for holidays in term time.
Obviously where possible appointments should be made when students do not have college commitments.

How You Will be Kept Informed
Percentage attendance data will be included in the target reports that will be sent to you in at intervals throughout the year.  You will be contacted by your son or daughter’s Department Manager or tutor if attendance becomes a particular cause for concern.

Results of poor attendance
Students whose attendance falls below 80% for a particular course may be asked to pay their own examination fees*.  A history of poor attendance will bring the college disciplinary procedure into operation and may result in students being asked to leave college. All references written by the college for employers or universities include a comment on attendance.

* Please note: Parents will be held responsible for the payment of examination fees where attendance is below the required standard.