School attendance
Science experiments
From Adrienne, Assistant Principal
Every Day Counts
Going to school every day is the single most important part of your child’s education. Students learn new things at 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 day and arriving on time. If students miss school or sessions regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school. 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 progressively lower achievement in numeracy, writing and reading.
IN VICTORIA SCHOOL IS COMPULSORY FOR CHILDREN AND YOUNG PEOPLE AGED 6 -17 YEARS.
Getting in early
Attendance patterns are established early – a child regularly missing days in kindergarten or in the early years of school will often continue to miss classes in the later years, and receive lower test scores than their classmates. It’s vital that students go to school every day – even in the early years of primary school.
Student Absences
If your child is away you must update their absence via Compass or inform the office to give an explanation.
The absence categories are:
| Parent Choice | Parent Choice. Parent is required to give further explanation for the absence |
| Medical Appointment | Student was not at school for medical reasons (provide medical certificate if you have one) |
| Medical/ Illness | Student was not at school for a medical appointment (provide medical certificate if applicable) |
Family Holidays
| Student was away on a school approved family holiday |
Bereavement
| Student is not at school due to a funeral or death in the family |
BEING AWAY FROM SCHOOL FOR ONE DAY A FORTNIGHT EQUALS MISSING 1.5 YEARS OVER 13 YEARS OF SCHOOL
Further information
For more information and resources to help address attendance issues, visit:
www.education.vic.gov.au/school/parents/behaviour/Pages/studentattendance.aspx