Attendance matters - it's life changing

Why do schools bang on about attendance? Does it really matter if a student misses a day here or there? Coming late, why are you making such a big deal? 

What we know about absenteeism from school is that it has a compounding effect on student outcomes. As a school all we want for our students is that they can have a 'good life' post school. By a good life we mean, the opportunity to pursue further education, get an apprenticeship, get a job, earn a living, buy a car, purchase a house/apartment, raise a family. Absenteeism from school can erode life opportunities, it is an invisible enemy of academic progress and future success. 

Life outcomes

Consider this, missing a day a week of school between Foundation and Year 12 can equate to a loss of 1.5 years of learning, those who attend school regularly are more likely to be able to successfully complete a senior school qualification. Research by the Australian Bureau of Statistics in 2011 suggests that those have completed Year 12 or an equivalent qualification are more likely to continue with further education or training and have a more successful transition into the workforce (ABS 2011).

The economic benefit to the individual of completing a tertiary qualification is evident. Someone with a university degree is likely to earn in excess of $1 million more over their lifetime than a person who does not finish Year 12, according to a new report (AITSL Spotlight – Attendance Matters). The same can be said for those who complete a tertiary qualification such as an apprenticeship or traineeship.

In addition to the academic benefits, the social benefits of schooling are also significant. The social disconnect that occurs when a young person does not consistently connect to their peers on a regular basis can lead to social anxiety and/or social developmental delay. The more students stay away, the harder it is for them to get back into school with their mates.

The data from our 2022 Student Attitude to School Survey suggests our community understands the importance of attendance and that parents/carers have high expectations for school completion. This is great data from our students indicating that they understand the importance of attaining an education.

The maths

Missing more than 10% of school days per year, shows that regardless of the type, absence has a compounding negative impact on academic performance (Gershenson et al., 2017; Gottfried, 2009; Zubrick, 2014).  The table below indicates the impact of days missed at school.

Young people of great character

Being organised and arriving on time for work on time is part of being a successful employee in the adult world. We try to work with families to teach students the skills that will make them successful as adults. We introduced 'late room' in 2019, where students are not permitted to go to class period 1 when they arrive late. Since we introduced late room, we have had a decrease in lateness to period 1 of around 70%. Some parents/carers don't agree with late room but when you consider the impact it has had on improving attendance, we believe it has had a positive impact. Late room also prevents the interruption of the learning of others who have arrived on time and done the correct thing. 

What difference can you make as parents/carers

 Sandringham College has a 90% attendance requirement for all students. 90% means that students can miss no more than 30min in any week or 1 period per fortnight. 

Ways that you can support your child to be on time and at school:

• Ensure that your child attends school regularly - except when legitimately ill
• Ensure that you communicate via COMPASS when your child is away and why
• Ensure that you understand the College's attendance requirements, particularly those of the VCE and VCE Vocational Major and Victorian Pathways Certificate
• Ensure that your child is getting 8-10 hours of good quality sleep, free from ICT distractions each night so that they wake up with energy able to attend school
• Make sure your child is at school on time and ready to learn each day
• Support the school when we put in place consequences for students who arrive late or are truant
• Contact us if you have concerns about your child and you feel that they are avoiding attendance, developing mental health or other wellbeing issues

OUR ATTENDANCE STARS!

Below are the students with the best attendance record at our school. We will be awarding each of these students with one of the sought after canteen Brownie Vouchers and also putting all names into the draw for a double movie pass at each year level. 

Congratulations to these students and their families for valuing being at school and making the most of their opportunities!