Compass & Student Absences

Absences, Late Arrivals or Early Departures

 Students arriving to school late or leaving early should be signed in and out at the office (at either campus – wherever your child is located). This ensures that attendance data is correct, and, in an emergency, students can be accounted for accurately.

Please note, at the main school office, sign in/out using the Compass tablet located on the counter. At the WSC, go to the office and ask the staff member to sign your child in/out.

FAQs: Absences and Compass

Does my child need to be signed in if they are only two minutes late?

Yes. Many teachers mark the roll right on 9am. If your child is not in class at this time, they are recorded as absent. Because this ‘absence’ has no reason associated with it, Compass distributes an automatic message at 11am stating that your is child ‘absent without explanation’. This can be a disconcerting/worrying message to receive if you expect your child to be at school. Classroom teachers make the presumption that all children arriving late to class have been signed at the office.

How do I record an absence in Compass?

• App: From the homepage, click on the ‘Shortcuts’ menu, which is located at the bottom of the page. Select ‘Submit attendance note’.
• Browser: From the homepage, click on the ‘Add Attendance Note’, which is located on the left-hand side of the page.

My child has a medical appointment in the morning. They will arrive at school around 11am. What should I do?

You have two choices here – the first is the preferred option:

1. Do nothing. When you arrive, sign your child in at the office. If they arrive after 11am you will receive the ‘absent without explanation’ from Compass. Just ignore this – you know where your child is! Signing in at the office overrides this.
2. In Compass, mark your child as absent for the entire day (keep the default of 8am – 5pm). Use the reason ‘Medical Appointment’. When you arrive at school, signing in at the office will override this.

My child needs to leave school early. What should I do?

Nothing. When you collect your child, sign them out at the office.

My child has an early dental appointment, but I think we should be at school by 10am. Should I record that time in Compass?

No. If something happens and you are not back by this time, our attendance record is incorrect. We need accurate attendance data in case of an emergency. For example, if there was a fire, we would not know your child had not yet arrived and we would be looking for them. In this instance, either do nothing in Compass, or record them out for the entire day. Signing in at the office when you arrive will update your child’s attendance correctly.

My child is unwell and they will stay at home for the day. What should I do?

Add an attendance note in Compass. Keep the default times (8am – 5pm) and add a reason ‘Medical/Illness’ from the choices available.

We are going away for a two-week holiday during term time. Do I put this in Compass?

Yes. Adjust the dates to include the holiday period and select ‘Family Holiday’ as the reason.

We hope this helps clarify the use of Compass for logging student absences. If you have further questions, contact the office.