Legal Information – The School Education Act 1999 requires parents/care givers to send their child/children to school every day the school is open for instruction unless there is a good reason for them not to attend. It is illegal not to send your child to school.
It is required that parents contact the school each time their child/children is/are absent with a suitable reason as the school is required to record an authorised or unauthorised absence on the Education Department’s Information system.
Every day counts! Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education and we aim to achieve a 90% or above attendance rate for all students. Students learn every day and missing school unnecessarily puts them at educational risk. Attendance patterns are established early – children who miss school days in the early years of school will often continue to miss classes in the later years. There are no safe number of days for missing school. Each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes.
The main reasons for absences are:
Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school because they are ill. It’s vital that they are only away on the days they are genuinely sick. If a child has any period of illness, it is a requirement of parents to provide an explanation for the absence their child has from the classroom. This can be done via the SMS service, handwritten note, or phone call to the office. Please make sure you have included the child’s name and room number in your message. Longer illnesses will
require a medical certificate wherever possible.
Holidays- Where possible holidays should be planned during school holidays not during the school term if it can be avoided. The Principal must approve extended holidays, otherwise it will be recorded as an unauthorised absence. You must come to the school office and complete a form notifying the school of your departure and return dates.
Late Arrivals – The Education Department is continually improving protocols to manage attendance in schools. All students who arrive at school after the 8.45am siren are required to come to the school office to obtain a late card to hand to their classroom teacher. If you go straight to the classroom, you will be sent back to the office to collect one. This includes Kindergarten and Pre-Primary students.