Student Wellbeing

School Attendance

The number of young people experiencing school attendance challenges has been increasing. In 2021, Year seven to ten school attendance rates dropped from 91.2 per cent to 87.0 per cent. Importantly this data includes all forms of school absenteeism including those explained by illness. However, there are clear links between school non-attendance and poor student outcomes with significant short and long-term impacts.

To effectively and sustainably address school attendance challenges, a whole-school approach using a multi-tiered system of support is needed, with a focus on:

• engaging students, building a sense of connection and belonging at school;

• engaging parents/carers;

• using data to identify at-risk students and monitor the progress of students experiencing school attendance challenges;

• reducing or eliminating barriers to attendance;and

• recognising and celebrating positive steps towards school attendance and engagement.

Every Day Counts – Supporting Student Attendance

Every Day Counts

At our school, we believe that regular attendance is one of the most important factors in a child's success and wellbeing. Coming to school every day helps students build strong learning habits, develop friendships, and feel connected to their teachers and classmates.

While we understand that children will occasionally be absent due to illness or family circumstances, frequent absences can have a significant impact on a student's learning. Missing just one day every two weeks can add up to almost a month of lost learning time over the course of a school year. These missed opportunities can make it harder for students to keep up with classroom learning, develop confidence, and maintain strong social connections.

Why Attendance Matters

Regular attendance helps students:

• Achieve their academic potential.
• Build positive relationships with peers and staff.
• Develop routines and organisational skills.
• Feel a sense of belonging within the school community.
• Participate fully in school activities and learning experiences.

When students are absent regularly, they may miss important teaching, collaborative learning opportunities, assessments, and social interactions that are difficult to replicate when they return.

How We Support Families

We recognise that every family faces different challenges from time to time. Our approach is to work in partnership with families to support students in attending school regularly.

Some of the ways we support families include:

• Monitoring attendance and identifying concerns early.
• Communicating with parents and carers when attendance patterns emerge.
• Working collaboratively to understand barriers to attendance.
• Providing wellbeing support through our wellbeing team and staff.
• Developing individual attendance improvement plans when needed.
• Connecting families with external support services where appropriate.

Our goal is always to work alongside families in a caring, respectful, and supportive way to ensure every child has the best opportunity to succeed.

How Families Can Help

Parents and carers can support regular attendance by:

• Establishing consistent morning and evening routines.
• Scheduling appointments outside school hours where possible.
• Encouraging a positive attitude towards school attendance.
• Communicating with the school eraly if difficulties arise.
• Ensuring children arrive on time and ready to learn each day.

Working Together

Strong attendance is a shared responsibility between the school, students, and families. By working together, we can help every child feel connected, supported, and successful.

If your family is experiencing challenges that may be affecting your child's attendance, please reach out to us. We are here to help and are committed to finding solutions together so that every student can thrive.

Impact of being absent 

Looking at days away from school: (per semester) 

0-6

This is within normal range.  A child with this attendance rate is able to take full advantage of the teaching and learning opportunities available to them.

7-10

This attendance rage is below average.  A child with this attendance rate could miss over one year of schooling between prep and Year 10

11-20

This is a poor attendance rate.  A child with this attendance rate days could miss out on up to two years of schooling between prep and Year 10

20+

This is a very poor attendance rate.  A child with this attendance rate could miss over two and one half years of schooling between prep and Year 10

Celebrating attendance 

As a school we are always monitoring student attendance and this is also identified in your child's semester reports.  Students will begin to receive commendations when their attendance is above 95%, please celebrate these achievements with your child.  If your child is struggling with attendaance, perhaps you could discuss this with them and together, work towards this recognition.