Attendance Report
Dear Parents and Carers,
HOW CAN I GET MY CHILD TO SCHOOL?
No matter how hard parents try, some students may be reluctant to go to school.
Here are some ideas which may assist you to support your child who is reluctant to go to school and may even be school refusing.
Addressing attendance issues promptly and setting up good attendance patterns can lead to future success and can help students feel more engaged and connected at school.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Patterns of late arrival at school or missing classes are early warning signs of disengagement from school.
- Missing one day of school each week adds up to 2 months missed over a year.
- Each day of absence has an impact on skill development and social connections.
- Poor attendance may be associated with future unemployment, criminal activity, substance abuse, and poorer health and life expectancy.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
Generally
- Act early if you are concerned.
- Talk about the importance of showing up to school every day, make that the expectation.
- Regular attendance at school sets up good behaviours for regular attendance at future workplaces and other life commitments.
- Don’t let your child stay home unless genuinely sick. Complaints of headaches or stomach aches may be signs of anxiety.
- Reward appropriate behaviour and don’t unintentionally reward unwanted behaviour by letting children who stay home have access to their devices and the internet.
- Be sure to set a good example – how you meet your commitments impacts on how they will meet theirs.
Daily Routines & sleep
- Help your child maintain daily routines such as finishing homework and getting a good night’s sleep.
- Primary school aged children need about 10 to 11 hours sleep. Teenagers need an average of 8-9 hours of sleep to be healthy and alert.
- You may also need to monitor your child’s use of the Internet, mobile phone and TV at night to ensure they are not staying up too late or being disturbed while sleeping.
- Consider how your child is sleeping – is their room cool and dark and have all devices, including TVs and mobile phones, been removed?
Talk about school
- Talk to your child. What are their feelings about school? What interests them at school? Are there any difficult situations?
- For younger children, talking about the school day shows your interest. Ask simple, positive and specific questions about parts of the day e.g. What was fun? Who did you play with today? Did you help anyone today?
Kind Regards,
Aira Agarano
Engagement and Attendance Officer
