School attendance software
Registers in seconds, an attendance office that chases what’s missing, and reports that pick out persistent and severe absence, all using the DfE’s codes. Attendance in PMC People is part of a complete school MIS.
Attendance that follows the rules
Schools in England must keep morning and afternoon attendance registers using the DfE’s codes, and keep a record whenever a mark is changed. Attendance is also where the work never stops: chasing absences with no reason, recording appointments and trips, and spotting the pupils whose attendance is slipping.
PMC People’s school attendance software is built around the DfE attendance codes from August 2024 and the School Attendance (Pupil Registration) (England) Regulations 2024. It sits in the same system as pupil records, timetables and behaviour, so the whole picture is in one place. See what a school MIS does.
What it does
Morning and afternoon registers
Tutors mark each student present, late with minutes late, or absent. “Everyone else present” finishes the register in a click.
The DfE codes
Every current code, counted the DfE’s way: attending, authorised, unauthorised and not counted.
No reason yet
Every N mark, oldest first, with the first two contacts’ phone numbers, so the office can chase them within the DfE’s five school days.
Planned absence
Appointments, study leave, trips and approved leave entered in advance, for one student or many.
Every change kept
Changing a mark needs a reason, and the original mark, the new one, who changed it and when are all kept.
Sharing attendance with the DfE
Schools must share their registers with the DfE. Through Wonde, PMC People’s data-sharing module gives the DfE’s daily collection everything it asks for. If your school sends it directly instead, PMC People checks each week, makes the file for the DfE’s portal and reminds you until it’s done.
Lesson registers
With the Timetable module, a register for every lesson, picking out students missing from a lesson after being marked in that morning.
Absence reported by parents
With the parent portal, parents report an absence with a reason, and the office records it.
Reports
Attendance for the school, each year group, form and student, with persistent absence (below 90%) and severe absence (below 50%) picked out.
Questions about school attendance software
Which attendance codes does it use?
The DfE’s codes from August 2024, including the C1, C2, J1 and Y codes, counted as the DfE sets out.
Can we bring our attendance history with us?
Yes. Moving from SIMS, the attendance step imports AM and PM marks; a full school year takes a few seconds. See moving from SIMS.
Does it share our attendance with the DfE?
Yes. Most schools share attendance through Wonde, which connects to PMC People through the data-sharing module and reads the registers every day. If your school sends its attendance to the DfE directly, PMC People checks each school week, makes the file to upload to the DfE’s secure portal, keeps the submission reference and reminds you until it’s sent.
Does attendance go into the school census?
Yes. The school census module takes attendance from the Attendance module for each census period.
Who can take and change registers?
Tutors take their own form’s registers on the day, heads of year their year groups, and the attendance office can change any mark, with a reason.
More about PMC People as a school MIS
Take a register in the demo
The guided tour shows registers, the attendance office and reports.