What are Attendance codes?
Attendance codes are a standardised set of values defined by the Department for Education (DfE) and used by schools to record and report student attendance. These codes are essential for accurate statutory returns and internal attendance tracking.
In addition to the DfE-defined statutory codes, schools using Satchel One can also create their own custom attendance codes to represent specific attendance scenarios unique to their setting.
View Attendance codes
🔒 The actions within this section are controlled by the Attendance code setup permission
To view the school’s attendance codes, go to Tools > Apps > Attendance > Attendance codes.
You’ll see a list of all existing codes, including their active and restricted state. You can search for specific codes by name using the search bar above the list.
Actions
🔒 The actions within this section are controlled by the Attendance code setup and Restricted code setup permissions
Edit - Update attendance code details
Active toggle - Deactivate a code to hide it when taking the register
Restricted toggle - Allow only staff with elevated rights to use these codes
Delete - Permanently remove codes you no longer need
Create Attendance codes 
🔒 The actions within this section are controlled by the Attendance code setup permission
To create a new attendance code, click Create and then complete the Create attendance code fields:
Code - The value that teachers will enter into the attendance register
Description - An explanation of how this code should be used. Staff will see this when they right-click a cell on the class register grid and select Attendance codes.
Statutory meaning - The category that reflects how the code contributes to attendance figures: Authorised absence, Late, No mark, Present, Unauthorised absence.
Physical meaning - Select a physical location or attendance state: In, Out, Late, No mark
Statutory code - For custom codes to be used in the census, you need to select a statutory code to map it to in order to avoid issues with your collection.
Below is the full list of statutory codes as they are defined by they DfE.
Code | Description |
/ | Present at the school during morning registration |
\ | Present at the school during afternoon registration |
B | Attending a place for any other approved educational activity |
C | Absent with leave for exceptional circumstances |
C1 | Absent with leave for the purpose of participating in a regulated performance |
C2 | Absent with leave, of compulsory school age and temporary reduced timetable does not require them to attend |
D | Attending another school at which they are a registered pupil |
E | Authorised absence as pupil is excluded, with no alternative provision made |
G | Absent without leave for the purpose of a holiday |
I | Unable to attend because of sickness |
J1 | Absent with leave for the purpose of attending an interview for employment or for admission to another educational institution |
K | Education provision arranged by a local authority, rather than the school |
L | Absent from the school when attendance register begins to be taken but attends before the taking of the register has ended |
M | Absent with leave for the purpose of attending a medical or dental appointment |
N | Absent - circumstances not yet established |
O | Absent - other circumstances |
P | Attending a place for an approved educational activity that is a sporting activity |
Q | Unable to attend because of lack of access arrangements by LA to facilitate their attendance |
R | Day exclusively set apart for religious observance by the religious body to which the parent belongs |
S | Absent with leave for the purpose of studying for a public examination |
T | Mobile child whose parent is travelling in the course of their trade or business and is travelling with that parent |
U | Absent for registration - arrived in school after registration closed |
V | Attending a place for an approved educational activity that is a visit or trip |
W | Attending a place for an approved education activity that is work experience |
X | Absent with leave, not of compulsory school age and timetable does not require them to attend |
Y1 | Unable to attend because school is not within walking distance of pupil’s home and transport to and from school normally provided is not available |
Y2 | Unable to attend due to widespread disruption to travel caused by a local, national, or international emergency |
Y3 | Part of the school premises is unavoidably out of use and pupil cannot be accommodated in parts of the premises that remain in use |
Y4 | Whole school closed when school was due to meet for a session, but session has been cancelled |
Y5 | Unable to attend because pupil is subject to a sentence of detention |
Y6 | Travel to or attendance at school would be contrary/prohibited by guidance/law relating to incidence or transmission of infection or disease |
Y7 | Unable to attend because of any other unavoidable cause |
Z | Used for marks prior to a student’s enrolment start date |
# | Planned whole school closure – no session to take place |
FAQ
Question | Answer |
Can we create custom attendance codes? | Yes. You can create school-specific codes and map them to statutory values for census reporting. |
Can staff see the description of each code in the register? | Yes. When staff right-click a cell in the register, the code’s description is displayed to help guide selection. |
What’s the difference between statutory and physical meanings? | Statutory meaning affects attendance reports and census. Physical meaning relates to the student’s on-site/off-site presence. |
Can we restrict certain codes to senior staff only? | Yes. You can toggle the 'Restricted' setting to allow use only by authorised personnel. |
What’s the difference between deleting and deactivating a code? | Deactivating hides it from view. Deleting removes it entirely and should only be done if it's no longer in use. |