It's Not OK to Be Away

At VUSC all students are required to achieve at least 90% attendance in all subjects.

Did you know:

• missing half a day of school each week equates to one month of missed learning each year
• a child missing one day a fortnight will miss four weeks in a year, and more than a year of school by Year 10
• learning is cumulative - if children miss a day, it is harder for them to catch up.

Encouraging regular school attendance is one of the most powerful ways you can prepare your child for success - both in school and in life. When you make school attendance a priority, you help your child get better grades, develop healthy life habits, avoid dangerous behaviour and have a better chance of graduating from secondary college. 

Children and young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12 or an equivalent qualification have:

• better health outcomes
• better employment outcomes
• higher incomes across their lives.

Research confirms there is a strong link between poor attendance and adverse student outcomes like early school leaving, poverty, substance use, unemployment and negative health outcomes.  Regular absences from school may also be a critical indicator of disengagement, leading to adverse outcomes. It is an easily observable warning sign. 

From the end of Term 2, all Victorian government schools must contact parents/carers as soon as practicable on the same day of an unexplained student absence. This requirement supports student safety and wellbeing. Schools need to know when and why a child is absent, and parents/carers need to know if their child is not at school. Prompt communication also promotes daily school attendance.

Our school will send parents and carers an SMS text if your child is marked absent or late to class, unless parent approval is received. 

Parents and carers must notify the school of their child’s absence as soon as possible on the day of absence using the school’s preferred method, including online (Compass), by telephone or by email at victoria.university.sc@edumail.vic.gov.au.