Changes to Student Attendance Recording Process
Posted on behalf of: Division for the Student Experience
Last updated: Tuesday, 23 September 2025

Processes for recording student attendance have been updated, alongside the new Sussex Mobile app.
New, step-by-step guidance for staff has been published today on the ITS website. If you are a member of teaching staff, it is important that you read the new guidance [PDF].
Whilst the process for recording attendance is similar to last year, there are some specific changes that all teaching staff should make themselves familiar with. For example, student attendance records can no longer be edited in Sussex Direct, but can be edited using the Sussex Mobile app (including the web browser version of this). Attendance records will still be viewable on Sussex Direct as usual.
Changes will make it easier to backfill attendance where students are not present, and students are also now able to record themselves as absent.
Please note that attendance must be taken at all timetabled teaching sessions, and attendance records should be updated as soon as possible after the teaching session. The new Sussex Mobile app will help us to further improve the reliability of attendance recorded through the PIN and further details on this are provided in the guidance.