The Absentees module allows for the manual recording and management of learner absences. This data is used to generate official attendance statistics, populate academic reports, and trigger parent notifications.
My School > Learners > Attendance: Absentees
The Absentees feature ensures school compliance with Department of Basic Education (DBE) reporting requirements. It provides a centralized ledger for tracking learner non-attendance, allowing the school to monitor trends, validate reasons for absence, and communicate with guardians regarding learner whereabouts.
Click on Load Absentees.
Select the Group by method: Learner, Register Class, or House Sports teams.
If using Register Class, select the specific grade and class using the radio buttons.
Click Select.
Define the period: Select the Start Date for the applicable week.
Note: The system requires the start date to be a Monday.
Filter the learner list:
To view the full class list: Set Show all learners to Male, Female, or Both.
To view only existing records: Select No (Only learners with absentees).
Click Continue.
Locate the learner in the list.
Click the checkbox under the specific day (Monday – Friday) to mark the learner as absent.
Select a reason from the Absent Reason dropdown menu.
Note: Custom reasons are managed under My School > General > Databases: Absent reasons.
To trigger a communication task, ensure the Notify checkbox is selected for the relevant entry.
Click Save.
If the notification option was selected during capture, the messages are queued for review.
Navigate to My Home > Tasks.
Select the Absentees task.
Choose the Delivery Method:
d6 App notification otherwise SMS
Only d6 App
Only SMS
Select the Message Format:
One message for the week's absentees.
A separate message for each day absent.
Select the learners and click Send to release the communications.
Remove unwanted notifications by selecting the learner and clicking Delete Selected.
Data Integration: Attendance data captured here automatically updates the Learner Profile and is pulled into the Marks module for inclusion on termly reports.
Notification Logic: Ticking the "Notify" box during capture does not send an immediate SMS/App message. It creates a record in the Task List, allowing administrative staff to vet the data before incurring SMS costs or sending alerts.
Calendar Dependency: The system references the Annual Calendar to determine valid school days. If a day is marked as a public or school holiday, attendance cannot be captured.
Monday Start Date Requirement: The absentee grid is structured on a weekly cycle (Monday to Friday). The system logic requires a Monday start date to maintain data alignment across the database and ensure reporting consistency.
Locked Term Dates: Absentees cannot be captured for dates falling outside of the terms defined in My School > General > Annual Calendar. This prevents data corruption and ensures attendance percentages are calculated against the correct number of school days.
Staff Selection Availability: If a staff member (Register Teacher) is not visible in the selection list, it is typically due to their staff calendar not covering the active period. Staff calendars should be set from 1 January to 31 December to maintain system visibility.