University of Leeds

Introduction Monitoring of attendance is recognised as an important element in supporting both student retention and performance. Regular and appropriate attendance has been a University requirement for many years as stipulated in the Curricular Ordinances and Regulations1 http://www.leeds.ac.uk/calendar/ordinances.htm For taught students, failure to attend and/or absence without permission can result in serious consequences for the student through the Unsatisfactory Student Procedure. The Graduate Board has arrangements in place for research students. Many schools have in place effective methods for monitoring unauthorised absence. However, since September 2009 all schools are being supported in monitoring students’ attendance in an auditable way.
The University responds to the requirements of the Home Office’s Points Based System, whereby it is required to report international students who fail to fully register when expected or who are absent for a prolonged period without authorisation, as supplementary to the normal monitoring of the attendance of all our students (both home/EU and international).
The following policy, guidance and accompanying examples of good practice are intended to give staff greater clarity in relation to the University’s expectations of an effective attendance monitoring process and to provide a co-ordinated response to the UKBA’s reporting requirements.
2. Taught students
2.1 Policy
1. The attendance of all taught students must be monitored by the parent school on average weekly throughout each semester. The monitored attendance sessions must include personal tutorials. The occasions on which attendance should be monitored should be those where it is feasible to do so and where individual students can be identified e.g. tutorials, practical classes, lab sessions, handing in of coursework. It is anticipated that the records maintained by schools will highlight absence rather than attendance.
2. Schools must