Student Guide - Attendance during your English Classes

We take attendance seriously

We take attendance very seriously here at Galway Business and English School and we ask our students to respect our rules and regulations that govern it.

The GCI attendance policy applies to all GCI students, in many ways it is the same as the Irish Law regarding attendance.

GCI teachers record your attendance in every lesson. Your attendance is recorded on a paper attendance record in addition to being logged on a digital attendance record. For digital attendance records, we use our data management system Schoolworks.  This data management system calculates your attendance rate.

Please note that if you arrive more than 15 minutes late or leave class early you will be marked absent - this will have a negative impact on your attendance percentage.

If you cannot attend your classes, you must inform the school on the same day by email to attendance@gci.ie or by phone 091 863100. 

You cannot contact us by social media or text to report or explain your absence. In order to help you to monitor and pay attention to your attendance, GCI have a comprehensive system of notifications. 

Day 1 of Absence

• You should contact the school as explained above.
• You will be marked absent by your teacher – this will have a negative impact on your attendance percentage.
• If you need any assistance, the school can help you.

Day 2 of Absence

• You will receive a notification email from the school reminding you about attendance.
• You must reply to this email with your reason for absence immediately. 
• You will be marked absent by your teacher – this will have a negative impact on your attendance percentage.
• Where a valid doctor’s medical certificate is provided, your attendance will not be affected.

 Day 3 of Absence

• You will be marked absent by your teacher – this will have a negative impact on your attendance percentage
• If you continue to miss classes without notifying the school and without justification, you will be contacted by email / phone.
• You will be asked to come for a student meeting with the Academic Department. All meetings are held in private and your information will be treated as confidential.

Two weeks of consecutive absence

You may be removed from classes and suspended if you are absent without a medical certificate or prior arrangement for 2 consecutive weeks or more.   GCI will always aim to make contact with students by all reasonable means, including by email, by phone or by contact with their agents.

Attendance is checked daily

We monitor our students' attendance daily and we make sure that nobody falls below an attendance score of 85%. This is crucial for those of you who need to get visa status. Not only is it important that you show up to class, but it is very important that you participate. If everybody participates, it makes for a much more fun and healthy learning environment.

We don't want it to have to come to us asking you to leave the school if your attendance gets very bad, but we might have to ask you to leave if you are not showing up!

Sick students

If students are going to be absent for any reason, this being illness or any other reason, GCI must be notified, either by e-mail or phone call together with any medical certs. If you need us to organise a doctor's appointment, please get in contact and we will arrange one for you.

Sickness is the only acceptable reason for not attending classes. Please email the school at attendance@gci.ie or call us 091 863 100. If you miss school for more than three days you must present a doctor’s certificate.

Non-EU students must present a doctor’s certificate on their first day of illness and for each day thereafter.

All enrolled students are required to attend a minimum of 85% of classes over the duration of their course.

• Where a student has 25% or more uncertified absence in the first six weeks of their programme, this must be communicated to ISD.
• If your attendance falls below 50%, this this fact will be communicated to ISD. There is no mechanism permitted whereby students can make up an uncertified absence(s) through additional classes, either during or after the end of the programme.
• GCI may not issue a certificate for a student whose attendance is less than 60%.