Note: Schools with electronic administration systems may skip to paragraph 48.
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Registers
| 39) | Registers are official documents of the PED. The following registers will be used in accordance with this policy: |
| 40) | If a class teacher or teacher is absent, another staff member must mark the class register or period register. |
| 41) | A register must be made available to an authorised official of the PED or an authorised judicial officer upon request. |
Class register
| 42) | A class register must be marked in the class registration period on each school day in accordance with the instructions in Schedule 1. |
Class registration period
| 43) | The school timetable must include a daily registration period of no more than 10 minutes to enable a class teacher to mark the class register. A class registration period may be scheduled at the start of each morning session or, if the register is marked twice a day, at the start of each morning and each afternoon session. |
Temporary class register
| 44) | A temporary class register may be used for no longer than 10 consecutive school days, starting on the first day of the first term, while class lists are being finalised. |
| 45) | A temporary class register must be maintained in the same manner as a class register in terms of this policy. |
| 46) | When the 10-day lifespan of a temporary class register has elapsed, the data must be copied into the class register. |
Period register
| 47) | A period register must be marked at least once a month in every period on a day designated by the principal. However, in order to improve monitoring of learner attendance, a principal may direct that the period register be marked more frequently. |
Schools with electronic administration system
| a) | 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; |
| b) | must ensure that attendance data is captured on the electronic administration system at least once a week; |
| c) | 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; |
| d) | must ensure that quarterly attendance returns are generated; and |
| e) | must adapt and apply paragraphs 39-47. |
| 49) | Any attendance record or return generated by an electronic administration system is an official document of the PED. |
Following up learner absence
| 50) | If a learner is absent for three consecutive school days without explanation, the class teacher concerned must report the absence to the principal. The principal must, as soon as possible, make a reasonable effort to contact the parent by whatever means are suitable for the circumstances of the school and of the family concerned. |
| 51) | If the learner is absent without valid reason for three consecutive school days, the principal must- |
| a) | inform the parent of the importance of regular attendance; |
| b) | emphasise the learner's duty to attend punctually and regularly in terms of the school's code of conduct for learners; |
| d) | inform the parent of the risk of the learner's record in the class register being cancelled for continuous absence; |
| e) | request the learner's return to school; |
| f) | where necessary, elicit the support of the district office; and |
| g) | where necessary, elicit intervention from government or non-government social development agencies. |
| 52) | If despite the intervention of the principal, a learner persists in being absent without valid reason- |
| a) | the learner must be charged with breach of the school's code of conduct for learners; or |
| b) | the learner's record in the class register must be cancelled if the learner is absent for 10 consecutive school days. |
| 53) | A record of all communication with a parent must be kept in the learner's profile. |
Cancellation of a learner's record in a class register
| 54) | 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. |
| 55) | A learner's record in a class register may be cancelled for one of the following reasons: |
| a) | exemption from compulsory school attendance; |
| f) | notification by the parent that the learner will not return to school; or |
| 56) | If a learner is absent from school for 10 consecutive school days a 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'. |
| 57) | A female learner's record may not be cancelled on grounds that she is pregnant or has given birth. |
| 58) | When a learner's record is cancelled, the principal must, in writing- |
| a) | inform the parent and class teacher of the date of and reason for the cancellation; and |
| b) | if the learner is of compulsory school-going inform the district office of the date of and reason for the cancellation. |
| 59) | If a learner's record has been cancelled and the learner is later readmitted to the school, the class teacher must make a new entry for the learner in the class register. |
Temporary closure of school
| 60) | A school may be closed temporarily by the HOD in case of emergency in terms of section 16(4)(b) of SASA. |
| 61) | An SGB may apply to the HOD in terms of paragraphs 3.1.7 and 3.1.8 of the National School Calendar Policy for permission to close a school temporarily for religious commemorations (if a majority of learners in the school are members of the faith in question), or for sporting or cultural events. In either case, the school may be temporarily closed for no more than two school days per year. |
| 62) | A learner may not be marked absent in the class register on a day when a school is temporarily closed. The instructions in Schedule 1 include appropriate notations for temporary school closure. |
School quarterly return on learner attendance
| 63) | The school quarterly return on learner attendance must be compiled, verified and signed according to the template provided in Schedule 4 and must be submitted to the district office either electronically or in hard copy by not later than one week after the beginning of the following school term. |
