Attendance

In accordance with the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), schooling is compulsory for children and young people aged from 6 to 17 years unless an exemption has been granted.

Parents/carers must enrol a child of compulsory school age at a registered school and ensure the child attends school at all times when the school is open for instruction.

Students are expected to attend the school in which they are enrolled, during normal school hours every day of each term, unless:

there is an approved exemption from school attendance or attendance and enrolment for the student, or
the student is registered for home schooling and has only a partial enrolment in a school for particular activities.

A principal or regional director (depending on the circumstances) may authorise an exemption and provide written approval for student attendance or attendance and enrolment to be exempt or reduced to less than full time.

School can’t occurs when a child is so overwhelmed and stressed by the demands of school that they find it difficult, or sometimes impossible, to attend. Autistic children and young people who experience school can’t often experience extreme stress and/or anxiety about school. This may mean they:

Miss days of school,
Are frequently late,
Or leave school early.

Funded by the Victorian Department of Education, Amaze has created a video and written resources on the topic of school can’t. These resources provide valuable insights into understanding and identifying the early signs of school can’t, as well as how to implement strategies. These resources are useful for parents, carers and teachers of Autistic children/students.

My School Experiences

A toolkit to understand the individual strengths, stressors, and potential solutions for school can’t for Autistic students and their families.

The My School Experience toolkit has been developed to support parents and carers to understand their child’s experiences with school can’t. The toolkit was codesigned with parents and carers to ensure it meets the specific needs of Autistic students experiencing school can’t.

The toolkit contains prompts for families when discussing school can’t with their child, focussing not just on stressors but their child’s strengths. The toolkit includes:

Questions and activities to work through with your child
Tips on how to adjust the activities for your child
How to plan the next actionable steps with your child
Tips on how to discuss your child’s support needs with their school.

You can find resources around attendance and specifically school can’t on our website for families to access.

Regards,

Ryan Baltetsch

Inclusive Practices Learning Specialist