Absence Management for Education

Absence Management for Education businesses

CubeHR's absence management tools are designed to meet the specific needs of education businesses. CubeHR's absence management goes beyond simple sickness recording. Automatic Bradford Factor calculation identifies concerning patterns. SSP tracking handles statutory requirements. Return-to-work workflows ensure every absence is properly documented. Occupational health referral tracking keeps everything in one place.

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The difference

Why education teams use CubeHR for absence management

Bradford Factor alerts flag concerning absence patterns before they become serious. Early intervention prevents small issues from becoming disciplinary cases.
Stop manually calculating qualifying days, waiting periods, and payment rates. CubeHR handles it all and exports to your payroll system.
Return-to-work interviews, fit notes, OH referrals, all recorded in one place. If absence leads to a capability process, you have the evidence trail.

In practice

How education businesses actually use it

Illustrative examples of how it gets used, not customer case studies.

A warehouse operation suspects a disproportionate share of absence falls on Mondays, but managers have nothing but anecdote to open a conversation with.
An employee is on long-term sick leave and there is no structured review process, so months pass with no formal contact.

The problem

Education HR problems that absence management solves

Term-time contracts
Leave entitlements for term-time-only staff require specific calculations that most HR systems can't handle.
Safeguarding compliance
DBS checks, safeguarding training, and Keeping Children Safe in Education requirements must be current for every staff member.
Multi-academy trusts
MATs need centralised HR across multiple schools while maintaining each school's autonomy.
Cover and supply management
Tracking staff absence and arranging cover is a daily challenge that affects teaching quality.

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Questions

Absence Management FAQ

What is the Bradford Factor?

The Bradford Factor is a formula (S² × D) that measures the impact of short, frequent absences. S is the number of separate absence instances, D is the total days absent. It highlights disruptive absence patterns that cost more than single long absences.

What Bradford Factor thresholds should we use?

Common thresholds are: 200+ (informal discussion), 400+ (formal review), 600+ (final warning). CubeHR lets you set custom thresholds per company. The defaults are configurable in settings.

How does SSP calculation work?

CubeHR tracks the current SSP rate (£116.75/week for 2025), the 3 waiting days, qualifying days, and the 28-week payment limit. It calculates SSP entitlement automatically and includes it in payroll exports.

Can we track absence reasons?

Yes. Standard absence reasons include cold/flu, injury, medical appointment, stress/anxiety, and more. You can add custom reasons specific to your company. All reasons are reportable.

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