Here we will cover how to Add and Edit Staff Absences using the Cover module.
Tip: Best practice is to to edit/delete Staff Absences from within the Modules>Cover>Arrange Cover screen not elsewhere in the MIS otherwise the ‘cover event’ tends to remain in the Arrange Cover page and may cause issues or not update correctly.
Access: The minimum permissions required for Staff Absences in Cover are found in the Cover Module of Config > Setup > Roles and Permissions.
See also: How To Record Staff Absence
Add Staff Absences
Go to Modules > Cover > Staff Absences.
To create a new Staff Absence click the New button.
Select one or more Members of Staff from the Staff Selector list and click Done.
Note: you can select multiple Staff if they have the same Reason of Absence for the same length of absence
This will open the Record Absence pop-up.
Add the Absence information using the dropdown option.
- Absent For – from the dropdown list select the time period for the Absence
- Start Date – this will default to the Current Date and Time and can be changed if required
- End Date – this will default to the Current Date and Time and can be changed if required
- DfE Duration – this will automatically populate based on the Start and End Date of the Absence and can also be changed manually
- Hours Lost – this is the Number of Working Hours lost
- Reason – from the dropdown list select the Reason for the Absence
- If you select an Absence Code which is linked to the Category of Sickness (SIC), this will create an extra field field to enter the Illness Category, which are added by the school using the Lookup Tables, (see also How To Create New Staff Absence Codes and How To Edit Lookup Tables)
- Illness Category – selected from the dropdown list
- Attachments – can be added by clicking the Browse button and uploading a file
- Notes – add any additional Free Text Notes if required
Click the Save button to save.
Absence Certificates
When adding a new Absence, the popup has an additional tab to manage Staff Absence Certificates. In the Absence Details tab three new checkboxes and two new dropdown lists have been added:
In the new Absence Certificates tab, multiple certificates can be added. Select Click to add a new certificate.
The following fields are required before clicking Save.
When the Certificate is saved, users will see an entry in the Absence Certificate screen.
Tip: Staff can also be added as Absent from the Arrange Cover page. Simply right click on the name of the person to be made Absent and from the context menu select Add Staff as Absent.
Note: This will also update the Staff Absence in the Administration module and the Staff Absences in the Cover module, so it does not have to be entered again.
This will open the Record Absence pop-up. Complete the same as before and click Save when finished.
Edit Staff Absences
Tip: Best practice is to to edit/delete Staff Absences from within the Modules>Cover>Arrange Cover grid not elsewhere in the MIS otherwise the ‘cover event’ tends to remain in the Arrange Cover grid and may cause issues/not update correctly.
In the example below right click on the member of Staffs name in the Arrange Cover grid and then select Edit Absence.
Then make the necessary amendments and click Save
If a staff member has been added as absent for the complete day (or a large part of the day), and the Arrange Cover screen has been saved and you need to amend the absence, best practice is to delete the original absence from Modules>Cover>Arrange Cover and start again to ensure the cover screen shows the correct absence.
Once you have deleted and re-created the Staff Absence refresh the Arrange Cover screen to ensure the Staff Absence shows correctly.