School Closure as a result of industrial action

If a school has to close for some or all pupils on a strike day, the Y code should be used for pupils who are not required to attend. Pupils who are required to attend should be marked down in the usual way. The Y code does not count towards the pupil or school’s absence record. Where a pupil is required to be in school on a strike day but does not attend, the pupil should be recorded as absent. Excerpt from 'Handling Strike Action in Schools' - DfE

Please note that the Y code can also be entered via the Edit Marks routine

Creating an Exceptional Circumstance in SIMS

Select Focus | Attendance (or Lesson Monitor) | Exceptional Circumstances
Click the New button to display the Create an Exceptional Circumstance page
Enter the dates e.g. from 01/02/2023 AM to 01/02/2023 PM
By default the Group Type is displayed as Whole School - If a different group is required, select this from the drop down list and then click on Search to refresh the display
Select the required Attendance code from the drop down list i.e. Y
Enter the reason in the Description field e.g. Teachers Strike Day
Highlight the pupils/students e.g. Whole School
SUPER DOUBLE CHECK that you have entered the closure details correctly - any existing attendance marks will be replaced
Click the Apply button; you will see a message confirming that the marks have been applied

Please see here for the same thing with pictures