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School Attendance

The Department of Education has provided some updated communication regarding school attendance. We have provided this for you below:

If your child is sick or absent, you are required to notify their school as soon as possible on the day of absence using one of the following methods:

Online: log the absence directly using Compass
Telephone: the school office and let the staff know your child’s name, class, date of absences and reason.
Email: the school and provide the staff with your child’s name, class, date of absences and reason.

Notifying the school of your child’s absence either before, or on the day that they will be away, helps ensure the safety and wellbeing of children and will fulfil your legal responsibility.

Why do I need to notify the school if my child is absent?

Schools need to know when and why a child is absent, and you need to know if your child isn’t at school.

From the end of Term 2 2018, all Victorian government schools are required to contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. If your child is absent on a particular day and you have not contacted the school to explain why, the absence will be marked as unexplained. This system also promotes daily school attendance. Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education, they learn new things every day – missing school puts them behind.

What is your responsibility?

You are legally required to ensure your child attends school every day or you must provide an explanation for their absence. You should let the school know in advance about any upcoming absences or notify them in the morning if your child won’t be at school. In order for schools to implement the same-day notification requirement, you must provide the school with your most up-to-date contact details.

Generally, one notification will be sent per family. If there are circumstances that require both parents and caregivers to be notified, don't hesitate to contact the school to make the necessary arrangements.

If a student reaches five days of unapproved or unexplained absence in the preceding 12 months, and after it is shown that appropriate supports or interventions to assist them to attend school every day does not improve their attendance, the Principal may decide to make a referral to the School Attendance Officer. This person is the Regional Director of the Department’s Regional Office, where you are located.

The School Attendance Officer will review the student's absence records and may take one or more of the following steps, depending on the circumstances.

• Issue a School Attendance Notice

• Issue an Official Warning

• Issue an Infringement Notice

The infringement notice for 2024/25 is $99. The amount changes each financial year[1].

What is the school’s responsibility?

The school must notify you of an unexplained absence about your child as soon as practicable on the same day.

Schools will let you know via your school’s a SMS, phone call, or email. If you cannot be reached because the school does not have your correct contact details (e.g., a changed phone number, SMS/email failure notification received), the school will attempt to contact any emergency contact (s) nominated on your child’s file. Where possible, this contact will be made on the same day of the unexplained absence.

Where can I learn more about the process for managing student absences?

Ask your school for a copy of the Attendance Policy, which outlines the school’s processes and procedures for monitoring, recording and following up on student absences.

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