That debate
A few thoughts that may have already been covered - one that is somewhat forward looking:
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If a cadet can submit their own absence (via Cadet Portal) - will the linked parent receive notification (once SMS/email capability is online?). Whilst all cadets are no doubt honest and pure… I’ve observed occasions where the cadet tells the parent they are attending the Sqn and subsequently attends somewhere else! Automatic parent notification of absence request submission - or the ability to notify parents if a cadet is not present on a parade night post register being taken and input on SMS would be highly useful in keeping the parent community informed.
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The Event’s tab filters on date descending appear to be based on the “day value” e.g 31 Oct 19 / 30 Aug 19 / 29 Apr 19 - rather than the calendar format - I use the dashboard to display a list of upcoming event in date order to get around, but thought I’d mention it.
If a cadet can submit their own absence (via Cadet Portal)
Hmmm this seems like the thin edge of the wedge and makes the assumption all cadets will use it. It’s hard enough to convince staff that SMS/sharepoint is worth more than a single cursory look.
I am uneasy about cadets advising by other than voice on the night to say they are going to be absent and even then I’d want to make sure we spoke to a parent, in case it is longer term. If a cadet said I’m not going to be there and parents weren’t available to confirm I’d be suspicious. Parents are responsible until their children become 18, which is why parents sign consent forms, unless we let cadets of all ages sign consent forms. I’m not convinced how we let cadets 16+ sign medical forms, when parents sign the actual consent form. Where is the precedence for this situation, where parents sign one thing and children sign the other.
Are you saying you make your cadets call to say they’re absent?
No, I expect parents to do that and I’d expect parents to say if cadets are going to be absent, unless the cadets are over 18. When I was in 6th Form those in ‘upper 6th’ could write absence notes or call to say they were going to be off, so there could be a concession I suppose. But not cadets of any age and not by text etc, regardless of who else gets it.
Would a school accept a phone call, text, email from a pupil to say they are going to be absent?
No.
But attendance at Squadron isn’t legally compulsory…
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We prefer to give the kids the responsibility. We already have an online absence submission form, been in place for years, never had any issues with it.
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@Baldrick the way HQAC seem to expect us to look at it, in their eyes it is compulsory or why have the process for investigating absence and if they’d not been for 2 months essentially look to kick them out. IMO if they don’t attend the squadron they’re the ones missing out on things and wasting their parents money being paid as subs.
I do kind of agree with you… And I don’t. You’re right in saying that it’s a waste of subs (Assuming that your subs are paid in by SO or bank transfer).
But, having an attendance policy is helpful to us staff, as it aids in activity planning. It’s also basic manners, and if they can get used to letting people know if they are going to be away, it will stand them in good stead in the future.
Split personality?
You only use the register for “fire purposes” and automatically consider any missing cadet to be authorised absence… But you aren’t prepared to accept a cadet notification of absence, it must come from a parent… 
My main question around automatic absence notification is: Can I poll in advance, or maybe even receive a weekly/monthly/whatever digest telling me who isn’t planning to be in?
That would help with planning and will fill the gap which will appear when we abandon our current system of chit/email/telephone/verbal notifications in favour of Cadet Portal.
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Will there be any monitoring of whether cadets on a unit are actually logging in to cadet portal?
It strikes me as the real game-changer of cadet portal will be that the unit is largely cut out of the promulgation of activities, and thus the inevitable failure to actually pass opportunities on to cadets. But this won’t really help where the insular lot don’t actually mandate or encourage the use of the portal.
All of those are good reasons to accept absence notifications from the cadets?
Your ‘policy’ entirely depends on the parent being actually involved. Some of my cadets would really struggle with that.
There is a “last logged into Cadet Portal” section on each cadet’s SMS record.
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Handy at the unit/sub-unit level, but not much help as a metric for wing or sector staff.
I see where you’re coming from.
I would imagine that it could be added to the Unit summary page with relative ease.
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It’s an awkward one, if it’s the Cadets who are notifying us how do we know that it’s genuine and that the Cadet isn’t over the park with a bottle of white lightning while their parents think they are at the Unit?
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Why not just have it auto-copy to the parent’s email? Job done.
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If they’re not at unit, it’s not my responsibility to get involved with what is clearly a parenting issue. We’re not Social Workers. (There’s also an aspect of teenage rebellion there which can be healthy, depending on the severity.)
If the parents ask me for information, I will happily provide it.
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@MattB I don’t think it’s so much as cutting the squadron out of the loop, it’s the fact that it could make all squadrons effectively redundant. If cadets can see what activities are going and sign up, why go to the squadron? So you could almost move to a virtual Air Cadets.
What I find is we put everything that comes up on the notice board (unless it clashes with something we are doing locally) and cadets don’t sign up, if it means parents having to take them, if we have staff attending there is take up. There is a Bronze and Silver DofE in the ½ term, no staff can go, but the cadets have been asking and need to do them, but none are going. Squadrons with SOVs seem to have a better take up, so read into that what you will. So put it all on the portal by all means, but don’t think it will mean greater take up. I don’t know of any squadron where things aren’t put on notice boards. There is an old saying about taking horses to water.
If the precept for the portal is that squadrons don’t put things up, then whoever said it is needed has little or no experience of the real ATC and fail to understand cadets don’t things not because they aren’t told, but because any one of the plethora of other things stops them. Which is exactly the same as for staff. TBPH if it all went on the portal fine by me, something people at squadrons don’t have to worry about, except dishing out consent forms and JIs, although if they’re all online, even better. If the portal does take off we can all go to one night a week.
I have been told about squadrons where they put everything on SM. Cadets look on SM and decide if they want to go to the squadron. One OC told me they started doing this and found excuses coming in for nights where it was an OCs inspection or class work etc, but FMS or shooting nights (at the time they had weapons) or camps, flying and gliding being posted attendance was almost 100%. Needless to say they weren’t stupid and didn’t select the strays. They stopped putting things on SM and removed training programmes from the main hall after finding cadets posting pictures of ir and attendance settled down again, with cadets coming along and getting on with whatever was on that night.
It’s not really going to make sqns redundant, is it?
The same activities are going on now, Cadet Portal will just be a more effective way of advertising them. Some wings use social media, At least one wing has issued screens to all sqns which display wing events, and some rely on email.
As OC, you’ll still be able to veto activities, and still have the final say in who goes. You’ll just be doing that via the SMS, instead of scraps of paper and email.
I publicise my training programme online. The cadets who choose to swerve sqn bull nights, or drill, or whatever, go to the bottom of the queue for weekend activities. They know the score, and it keeps them motivated, even through the lass fun stuff.
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