ATTENDANCE

THE IMPORTANCE OF SCHOOL ATTENDANCE

Going to school every day is the single most important part of your teenager’s education.

Students learn new things at school every day – missing school puts them behind.

SCHOOL IS BETTER WHEN YOUR TEENAGER IS THERE

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 & VCAL, 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 and post-school pathways.

ATTENDANCE LEGISLATION

In Victoria, it is compulsory for children and young people aged 6–17 years to attend school.

Parents are legally required to ensure their child attends school every day and to provide an explanation for their child's absence from school unless an exemption from attendance has been granted or an exception to their attendance applies.

Evidence shows that daily school attendance is important for young people to succeed in education and to ensure they don’t fall behind both socially and developmentally. Young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have better health and employment outcomes and enjoy higher incomes.

Please note family holidays during term time are not approved absences. If the parent or legal guardian decides to go on a holiday during the school term despite it being an ‘unapproved’ absence and the duration of the absence is over five days, the principal may choose to refer the case to the School Attendance Officer for further action and this may result in an Infringement Notice.

HOW CAN I GET MY CHILD/TEEN TO SCHOOL

No matter how hard parents try, some students may be reluctant to go to school.

Here are some ideas which may assist you to support a child or teen who is reluctant to go to school and may even be school refusing.

Addressing attendance issues promptly and setting up good attendance patterns can lead to future success and can help students feel more engaged and connected at school.

ANXIETY ABOUT GOING TO SCHOOL

Going to school is usually an exciting and enjoyable event for children and adolescents. However, most children are occasionally reluctant to go to school or have some anxiety about activities like school camp; it is also normal that at some stage in life most of us will feel anxious when faced with a difficult situation.

Anxiety becomes a problem when it is persistent and prevents a person from enjoying normal life experiences for a long period of time.

You can help your child to cope with anxiety in effective ways and, in doing so, help them develop self-confidence and resilience.

RESEARCH IMPACT

After conducting research for the Australian Government Department of Education, our researchers found there is a real need to develop new initiatives to encourage parents to understand the value of regular school attendance, even from a very young age, and to establish stable and beneficial routines for attending school.

https://www.thekids.org.au/our-research/research-topics/school-attendance

ATTENDANCE INFORMTION FOR STUDENTS 

Resources to help students to understand the importance of attendance and where they can get help if they are struggling with attendance.