Attendance Management

Track student attendance with two complementary systems: Class Attendance and Subject Attendance.

Overview: Craft Cart provides two types of attendance tracking to give you complete visibility into student presence. Class Attendance tracks daily registration, while Subject Attendance tracks attendance in individual lessons.

Two Attendance Systems

Class Attendance

What it is: Daily registration taken by the class teacher (form tutor) each morning.

Purpose: Track which students are present at school today.

Who marks it: Class Teacher or Year Head

When: Once per day (usually at morning registration)

Scope: All students in a homeroom class (e.g., 7A, 8B)

Subject Attendance

What it is: Attendance taken by subject teachers during each lesson.

Purpose: Track which students attended specific lessons.

Who marks it: Subject Teacher or Department Head

When: Every lesson/period throughout the day

Scope: Students in a specific teaching group (e.g., Year 7 Maths Set 1)

Why Two Systems?

The Difference Explained

Example: John is a Year 7 student in class 7A

Morning - Class Attendance (7A):

  • At 8:00 AM, the class teacher marks John as Present in class registration
  • This confirms John is at school today

Throughout the Day - Subject Attendance:

  • Period 1 (Maths): John is marked Present in Year 7 Maths Set 1
  • Period 2 (English): John is marked Present in Year 7 English Set 2
  • Period 3 (Science): John is marked Absent in Year 7 Science Set 1 (he skipped this class)
Key Point: Even though John was marked Present in the morning class attendance, he can still be marked Absent in individual subject lessons. This helps identify students who attend school but skip specific classes.

Practical Uses

Scenario Use Class Attendance Use Subject Attendance
Check who's at school today
Send daily absence notifications to parents
Track lesson-by-lesson attendance
Identify students skipping specific subjects
Calculate overall school attendance rate
Monitor engagement in a specific subject

Attendance Statuses

Both systems use the same four attendance statuses:

Status Badge Meaning When to Use
Present Present Student is in class/school Student attended the registration/lesson
Absent Absent Student is not present, no valid reason Student didn't show up, no explanation provided
Late Late Student arrived after start time Student came in after registration/lesson started
Excused Excused Absent with valid reason (sick, appointment, etc.) Student has doctor's note, permission letter, or prior approval

Quick Start Guides

Class Attendance

Learn how to take daily class registration and view attendance history for your homeroom class.

  • Taking daily registration
  • Marking students quickly
  • Viewing class attendance history
  • Attendance matrix view
Read More
Subject Attendance

Track attendance for individual lessons in your teaching groups throughout the day.

  • Taking lesson attendance
  • Cross-referencing with class attendance
  • Viewing subject attendance history
  • Reports and analytics
Read More

Common Workflows

Daily Routine - Class Teacher

  1. 8:00 AM - Morning Registration: Take class attendance for your homeroom (e.g., 7A)
  2. Throughout the Day: Teach your subject lessons and take subject attendance for each teaching group
  3. End of Day: Review any students marked absent in class but present in lessons (or vice versa)

Daily Routine - Subject Teacher (Not a Class Teacher)

  1. Each Period: Take subject attendance for your teaching groups
  2. Reference Class Attendance: The register shows if students were marked present in morning registration
  3. Flag Concerns: Note students who attended registration but are missing from your lesson

Weekly Review - Admin/Year Head

  1. Review Class Attendance: Check overall school attendance rates
  2. Review Subject Attendance: Identify students with poor subject-specific attendance
  3. Follow Up: Contact parents of students with patterns of absence or truancy

Permissions & Access

Role Class Attendance Subject Attendance
School Admin View history for all classes (cannot mark) View history for all subjects (cannot mark)
Class Teacher Mark and view for their assigned class(es) Mark and view for their teaching groups
Year Head Mark and view for all classes in their year group View for teaching groups in their year
Department Head View only (if they're not a class teacher) Mark and view for all teaching groups in their department
Subject Teacher No access (unless also a class teacher) Mark and view for their teaching groups

Best Practices

Attendance Management Tips:
  • Take Class Attendance First Thing: Complete morning registration by 8:15 AM for accurate daily records
  • Mark Subject Attendance at Start of Lesson: Take attendance within the first 5 minutes of each period
  • Use Comments for Context: Add notes for late/excused absences (e.g., "Doctor's appointment")
  • Cross-Reference: If a student is absent in class but present in lessons (or vice versa), investigate
  • Monitor Patterns: Review attendance weekly to spot trends before they become serious
  • Communicate with Parents: Contact parents promptly when absence patterns emerge
  • Update Retroactively if Needed: If a student brings a medical note later, update Absent to Excused
  • Use Reports for Interventions: Generate attendance reports to identify at-risk students
Class Attendance