Attendance Matters!
More than ever, daily school attendance is important for young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don’t fall behind both socially and developmentally. The effects of COVID over the last few years has seen a significant impact on student’s mental health and social engagement & development. The evidence behind positive attendance shows that young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives.
School participation is important as it maximises life opportunities for young people, by providing them with education and support networks. School helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values which set them up for further learning and participation in their community.
Wantirna College places great importance on all students being at school on time every day that the school is open for instruction. We set our attendance rates in line with the VCE requirements of a minimum of 90%. This still equates to a student having a day of every week off across the year - to put this into context, if a child has an attendance percentage of 90% from Year 7 to Year 11 then this is equivalent to missing over 6 months of school!
This means that, developmentally, they are behind their peers and ultimately this can have a long-term impact on future career pathways.
We are actively working with students to encourage them to set attendance goals and monitor them term by term, using the Compass insights function, which should be visible to you as parents.
The main reasons for absence are:
Sickness – There are always times when students need to miss school, such as when they’re ill. It’s vital that they’re only away on the days they are genuinely sick, and setting good sleep patterns, eating well and exercising regularly can make a big difference.
Family Holidays - It's vital that holidays are planned during school holidays, where possible, and not during the term. If you are planning to go on holiday during term time, make sure that you talk to your school in advance, and work with them to develop an absence learning plan.
“Day off” – Think twice before letting your teenager have a “day off” as they could fall behind their classmates – every day counts.
Truancy – This is when students choose not to go to school without their parent’s permission or skip out of school during the day. There can be many reasons for truancy; the best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together. While all absences can effect academic performance, Department of Education statistics show that unexcused absences are a much stronger indicator of lower reading and maths achievement.
School Refusal - School refusing students experience significant emotional distress not only when going to school but also at the thought of going to school; they may be absent from school for weeks or even months at a time. School refusal differs from truancy as children generally stay home with the knowledge of the parents and despite their best efforts to encourage their child to go to school. Follow this link for more information: My child or teenager has anxiety
HELP US !!
You can add attendance notes on Compass through your child’s portal and this helps us to build a picture of the reasons for absences and what we can do to support families. We actively encourage you to do this every time your child is away. If you do not know how to do this, please contact the main office and they will be happy to assist.
We understand that sometimes getting your child to school may be difficult and the school is very happy to work with you to improve your child’s attendance. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact your child’s Year Level Leader, Middle School Leader or the school’s wonderful Wellbeing team.
From there, we will look to put in supports at a school level and if necessary external supports from Headspace and Navigator to ensure that your child has the best chance to be successful in attending.
James Doble
Assistant Principal