Can’t make it in to college? It’s important that we’re made aware!

If you are absent from College on a timetabled day, your parent/carer must call your Attendance Officer and/or the Department Administration Team to report your absence before your first timetabled session of the day on the day of the absence.

View Absence List

Calls are to be made to the Attendance Officer of the course area that you are enrolled in:

A-Levels - Middlesbrough College Sixth Form (MC6): 01642 333816

Construction: 01642 333497

Engineering & Motor Vehicle: 01642 333555

Visual Performing Arts (inc. Music, Art, Fashion Retail): 01642 333744 

Digital (inc. Computing & Games): 01642 333599     

Service Industries & Retail Skills (inc. Hair & Beauty, Catering & Hospitality): 01642 333599  

TTE: 01642 462266   

Sports, Travel & Public Services: 01642 333744

Health & Care, Business & Education: 01642 333211  

Progression Studies, Life Skills and ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages): 01642 333396 / 01642 333324 

Adult Courses: 01642 333371    

BE and Adult ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages): 01642 333826  

When your parent/carer contacts us to report an absence you will be asked for the following information:

  • Your Parent/Carer will be asked to give your name, date of birth, the reason for your absence and when you intend to return to the College. (We must record who rings in and their relationship to you).
  • If you are going home sick you must get permission from your tutor and or directorate first and report to the Attendance Officer for your course area before you leave College. We will make contact with your parents/ carers, if you are under 18 years of age. 

Please be aware that it is Parent/Carer’s responsibility to report your absence.  Failure to do this will result in your absence being treated as unauthorised. Not all absences are authorised, so please check the information below on authorised and unauthorised absences for specific information.

Attendance policy and absence reporting process

Attending all of your classes is crucial if you are to succeed in your studies. All the evidence suggests that those students who fully attend their programmes achieve better and have better progression outcomes. Please do all you can to attend at all times. Below the Attendance Policy is explained in more detail. Please use this process to report any absences and make sure you understand your responsibility in this process.

Attendance monitoring

We will monitor your attendance in all timetabled classes, including English and maths through the use of electronic registers.  If you miss registration during any class, then your parents/guardians or named contact will receive a text. This is generated electronically once a mark is missed.

Therefore, as well as attending your class, it is important that you are on time and ready to learn.

Sickness, whilst it may be unavoidable, will usually be recorded as unauthorised. 

It is recognised that there may be mitigating circumstances that require a deviation from this policy for students who have particular needs or extra barriers to overcome.  This will be determined on an individual basis.

Absences List

Unauthorised absences whilst on your course are not acceptable and will result in an absent mark and if you are in receipt of a bursary, possible non-payment. The following are examples of the reasons which will result in unauthorised absences which will impact on your overall attendance and could result in bursary payments being stopped:

  • Babysitting
  • Birthdays or similar celebrations
  • Driving lessons
  • Employment – part-time or full-time work which is not part of a student’s course and prevents attendance at College
  • Holidays
  • Leisure activities
  • Medical appointments which can be arranged outside the scheduled programme timetable (e.g. routine and non-urgent appointments such as check-up dental and optician’s appointments and non-urgent doctor’s appointments)
  • Shopping

Absences will only be authorised by the College for the following reasons upon receipt of evidence:

  • Hospital appointment which is set by the hospital
  • Emergency doctor / dentist appointment
  • Driving / theory test
  • University visit / interview
  • Job interview
  • Funeral of immediate family member e.g. parent, grandparent, brother / sister, aunt / uncle, spouse / partner, child, niece / nephew
  • Religious holidays / festivals
  •  Court appearance
  • Jury service
  • Care of a relative or person where the student is a registered carer
  • Cross-College Student Council meetings

Sickness, whilst it may be unavoidable, will usually be marked as unauthorised.

 Students are expected to make medical appointments outside of timetabled hours wherever possible. However, where a student knows in advance that they are unable to attend a lesson, they must report the absence to the Attendance Officer / Department Administration Office and provide evidence of the absence in advance, so that the absence can be noted as ‘authorised’ if appropriate.  

Evidence must be provided to support the absence before this will be authorised.  You will only be given time for the appointment and travel time either side, a full day will not be given.

Sickness, whilst it may be unavoidable, will usually be marked as unauthorised.

Whilst the College is sympathetic to cases of genuine illness, it is important that these are kept to a minimum as repeated absence will affect the chances of success on your course and may result in non-payment of the bursary if this is not authorised. 

If you believe that your absence should be authorised because of special reasons, such as chronic illness or a disability, please speak to your Personal Tutor or the Attendance Officer for your course area (see telephone numbers above), in confidence.

For longer periods of absence, you should contact your Personal Tutor or the Attendance Officer to discuss how this will affect your study and payments.

Attendance and Punctuality Policy 2019