Every Day Counts

Secondary School Attendance  

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things are school every day – missing school puts them behind.

WHY IT'S IMPORTANT 

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school each and every day.

Students develop good habits by going to school every day – habits that are necessary to succeed after school, whether in the workplace or in further study.

Missing school can have a big impact on students academically and socially. It can affect their test results, including VCE, and, just as importantly, it can affect their relationships with other students, and lead to social isolation.

There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind, and can affect their educational outcomes.

Each missed day is associated with falling behind in subject topics and assessment tasks, and lead to fewer subject choices and may impact on achievement in years 11 and 12.

GETTING IN EARLY 

It’s never too late to improve attendance – going to school more often can lead to better outcomes. Even at Year 9, when attendance rates for all students are lowest, going to school more often can make a big difference. Every day counts.

Schools are there to help – if you’re having attendance issues with your child, speak to your school about ways to address those issues.

WHAT WE CAN DO 

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.

“Day off” – Think twice before letting your child 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. There can be many reasons for truancy; the best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together.

While all absences are bad for academic performance, unexcused absences are a much stronger indicator of lower reading and maths achievement.

If for any reason your child must miss school, there are things you can do with your school to ensure they don’t fall behind:

*Speak with your home room teacher or year level coordinator and find out what work your child needs to do to keep up.

*Develop an absence learning plan with your teacher and ensure your child completes the plan.

Remember, every day counts. If your child must miss school, speak with your home room teacher or year level coordinator as early as possible.

Openly communicating with your child’s school about all absences is a good way to prevent attendance issues being escalated to a School Attendance Officer. A School Attendance Officer is a Department of Education and Early Childhood Development Regional Director who has authority to follow up attendance issues. Attendance issues that are escalated can lead to an Infringement Notice.

If you’re having attendance issues with your child, please let your year level coordinator, principal or other relevant staff member know so you can work together to get your child to school every day.

FURTHER INFORMATION 

For more information and resources to help address attendance issues, visit:

www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/behaviour/Pages/studentattendance.aspx