Attendance News

Every Day Counts!  

Did you know?

• Starting in Prep, too many absences can cause children to fall behind in school. 
• Missing 10%, or about 2 days each month over the course of a school year, can make it harder to learn to read. 
• Students can still fall behind if they miss just 1 or 2 days every few weeks. 
• Being late to school may lead to poor attendance.  
• Absences and tardiness can affect the whole classroom if the teacher has to slow down learning to help children catch up. 

Attending school regularly helps children feel better about school—and themselves. Start building this habit in Prep so they learn right away that going to school on time, every day is important. Eventually good attendance will be a skill that will help them succeed in secondary school and university.

Attendance Guidelines 

• Regular attendees: miss less than 10 days a year (less than 5% absence)
• Risk of chronic absence: miss between 10 and 19 days a year (5-10% absence)
• Chronically absent: miss 20+ days (10%+ absence; average 1 day per fortnight)

Extended Family Holidays 

The Department of Education advises families to take holidays during school holidays and not during term time. Any holidays planned for during school time must be discussed with your child’s school in advance. The school will decide if it is okay for your child to miss any school for a holiday. If the school does not approve the holiday and you decide to go, the matter may be referred to a school attendance officer at the Department of Education.

To notify the school of your interest of taking an upcoming family holiday please email mark.roberts@education.vic.gov.au 

If your child's attendance is not Regular (less than 10 days a year - less than 5% absence), it is likely that the school will not endorse the holiday.  

Arriving to School on Time - Morning Routines

One of the main reasons for students not arriving to school on time is the business of the home in the morning.  Setting up a good routine helps children arrive at school ready to learn and play.

Please click here to receive tips about setting up morning routines. 

Department of Education Attendance Resources 

Top attendance tips for parents

• Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support
• Remember that every day counts
• There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness
• Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
• Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea
• Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term
• Seek help from your school if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and wellbeing. Schools want to work in partnership with parents to support student attendance and wellbeing.

Compass SMS Alerts and Absences

Attendance

SMS is being used to confirm with families that their child is not at school when the morning rolls are marked. 

This means at 9.45am, if your child has not arrived at school and you have not informed the school via Compass that day or prior to the day, an automated SMS will be sent to you as confirmation that your child is in your care and not at school.

Please Attend to Absences

If you have a notification on your Newsfeed that there are outstanding absences awaiting your approval, you must approve them.

It is a parent's responsibility to notify the school of an absence and it has always been the case.  Prior to Compass, you would have physically written a note; now you do so electronically - it is actually easier.  Student Rolls are a legal requirement (Education and Training Reform Act 2006) and it is your responsibility to help us maintain them by promptly informing us of the reason for your child's absence.

• Whole day absences can be approved beforehand;

• Part day absences should only be approved after the fact - parents SHOULD NOT put in part day absences beforehand.

In accordance with the school’s Attendance Policy, if no explanation is provided by the parent within 10 school days of an absence, it will be recorded as an ‘unexplained absence’ on the student’s file.

If you need assistance with approving an absence, please see the instructions on Compass.  These can be found in the Community section - School Documentation - School Community Information - Compass-Approving an Absence.