What’s the Right Student Attendance Monitoring System and Solution

All schools need a reliable student attendance monitoring system. There is big pressure to achieve high-levels of attendance, and quite rightly, because persistent lack of attendance damages students’ education vastly, and because parents face fines when students miss school.

Student attendance monitoring system needed

Schools require a good student attendance monitoring system to ensure reliable and consistent tracking of student’s attendance records. Last year, across England, 149,321 penalty notices were issued to parents for a child’s lack of attendance. Parents face a fine of £60 if paid within 21 days and £120 if paid within 28 days. Failing that, the case will likely head to court.

The overall numbers of penalties are actually a drop of five per cent on the previous year, so attempts to encourage higher attendance are working.

FasTrak’s student attendance monitoring system

FasTrak’s approach to a student attendance monitoring system is first and foremost based off whether it’s for a secondary or primary school. Every school is different and has its own requirements, but the age of pupils is a good point to start.

For primary schools, FasTrak helps schools reliably record attendance by making it a part of another morning routine. Children register their attendance on a smartboard when they indicate their pre-order for their school meal that day. They might also choose a packed lunch as an option. This helps schools securely and reliably register attendance while cutting other admin at the same time. It also notifies the school kitchen staff of the quantities of each meal they will need to prepare that day.

In secondary schools, we let schools take advantage of an extensive and integrated Identity Management solution. Schools can either use biometric fingerprints, smartcards or passwords and pins for the Identity Management solution. Students simply need that one form of identification to access all kinds of services around the school, like cashless catering, vending machines, printers and more.

But it is also how they register their attendance at the start of the school day and possibly for each individual lesson if a school should wish. They simply need to scan their fingerprint or smartcard as they enter a classroom to register their attendance. Teachers can amend and add any student’s attendance during the lesson should they have forgot to scan – but it’s a system that lets you give more responsibility to older students in a very convenient and simple way.

The importance for schools to get attendance monitoring right can’t be overstated, so creating a solution that works for each schools’ needs and requirements is vital. That’s what we try and do here at FasTrak.

Related links & news stories

North West Evening Mail: Parents fined over school absences