Attendance

Regular attendance at school is essential for students to achieve quality life outcomes. Our school, in partnership with parents/carers and the community, is responsible for promoting the regular attendance of all students. Parents or carers of children of compulsory school age are responsible for ensuring their child attends school every day.

As a school we:

• have high expectations for attendance
• ensure that students feel a sense of belonging to their school, are committed to working collaboratively with all members of the school community to plan individualised and culturally authentic approaches to addressing attendance
• collect detailed attendance information to ensure we are better equipped to support student engagement.

What do I need to do if my child is absent from school?

If your child is absent from school, it is very important that you inform the school, so we are aware of students absent from school to comply with child protection regulations.

·         You can go onto the Sentral Parent Portal App and mark your child absent prior to or the morning of the absence.

·         SMS alerts are sent out at 11am each day notifying that an absence has been recorded for your child. Preferred response is by SMS with a short explanation as soon as possible on the day of an absence or shortly after. Absences that are not explained within 7 days (including weekends and school holidays) are recorded as an ‘unexplained and unjustified absence’ on school records.

Give an explanation that details the absence. Eg: unwell with a migraine.

Important points to remember:

·         Families should try to arrange holidays during school vacation breaks

·         A child must be at school every day unless he/she is too sick to attend school, has been injured and can’t attend school, needs to attend a cultural ceremony, has an infectious illness, or is absent for family bereavement

Please provide a medical certificate or medical note for all appointments.

Whilst the Department of Education prefers student medical/therapy appointments to be scheduled outside of school hours, those that do occur during school time require a medical certificate or practitioners note detailing appointment dates, times, and reasons for appointments. Please supply us with a certificate/note prior to or as soon as possible after the appointment.

Late for class or leaving school early

As a part of our whole-of-community approach, we ask all parents and carers for a commitment to their child’s learning by having children at school, each and every day, on time and ready to learn by 9:05am.

If your child is late to school, please accompany them to the school office and explain their absence.

If a child is unaccompanied when signing in, the absence will be recorded as an unexplained and unjustified absence on school attendance records. Please note, the Department of Education will not accept ‘slept in’ or ‘running late’ as a valid reason for being late to school. This is recorded as an ‘unjustified’ reason on school records.

If your child is to leave earlier than 3.10pm, parents and carers are required to report to the school office to sign their child out of school.

This is also recorded on school attendance records. An acceptable reason must be given for the need to leave early, otherwise the absence will be recorded as ‘unjustified’.

What do classroom teachers do to monitor attendance?

Roll checks are conducted regularly at school by classroom teachers to monitor student attendance. Class teachers will:

●       call to check in with you if your child is absent for 2 or more consecutive days.

●       please note that replying to the Attendance SMS is the preferred way to explain your child’s absence.

●       refer attendance concerns to the Deputy Principal who liaises with the school Learning Support Team and the Home School Liaison Officer.

Can we help with attendance?

Please contactthe school so that we can support you in getting your child to school on time each and every day, ready to learn.

Have a question for our principal or teachers?

Our friendly office team can help you get in touch.

Contact us