Attendance
Complete guide to daily and period-wise attendance tracking, analytics, and automated parent notifications in Ardent SMS.
Attendance Tracking
Real-time attendance marking via web or mobile app, with automated chronic absenteeism detection and instant parent notifications.
Overview
The Attendance module supports multiple marking methods and provides real-time analytics to help schools identify and address absenteeism patterns before they become critical.
Marking Methods
| Method | Best For | How It Works |
|---|---|---|
| Web Portal | Form teachers at desks | Toggle Present/Absent for each student in a class list view |
| Mobile App | Teachers in classrooms | Tap-to-mark on the Staff App with offline sync |
| QR Code | SHS self-check-in | Students scan a daily QR code displayed in the classroom |
| Biometric | High-security schools | Fingerprint scanner integration at school gates |
Attendance Types
Marks whether a student was present for the school day. Taken once per day, typically during the first period or assembly.
- Status options: Present, Absent, Late, Excused
- Marked by: Form teacher or class prefect (with teacher approval)
- Deadline: Must be submitted before end of first period
Tracks attendance for individual class periods throughout the day. Useful for SHS students who may skip specific subjects.
- Status options: Present, Absent, Late
- Marked by: Subject teacher for each period
- Integration: Links to timetable for automatic period detection
Analytics & Alerts
Chronic Absenteeism Detection
The system automatically flags students who miss more than 20% of school days in a term. These flags feed directly into the AI Early Warning System.
Automated Parent Notifications
When a student is marked absent:
- Immediate SMS — Parent receives an SMS within 5 minutes: "Your ward [Name] was absent from [School] today. Contact the school if this is in error."
- Weekly Summary — Parents receive a weekly attendance summary every Friday via the Parent App
- Threshold Alert — When a student reaches 10% absence rate, a formal letter is auto-generated for the class teacher to send home
Attendance Reports
| Report | Description | Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Register | Complete list of present/absent students per class | Daily |
| Weekly Summary | Percentage attendance per class with trend arrows | Weekly |
| Monthly Analysis | Heat map of attendance patterns by day-of-week | Monthly |
| Term Report | Full term attendance statistics for report cards | Termly |
Permissions
Attendance Module Access
| Feature | Super Admin | Admin | Teacher | Accountant | Parent | Student |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mark attendance | ||||||
| Edit past attendance | ||||||
| View class reports | ||||||
| View own attendance | ||||||
| Configure alerts |