Attendance
Attendance Matters!
More than ever, daily school attendance is important for young people to succeed in education and to ensure that they don’t fall behind, both socially and developmentally. The effects of COVID over the last 3 years has seen a significant impact on student’s mental health, social engagement and development.
The evidence behind positive attendance shows that young people who regularly attend school and complete Year 12, or an equivalent qualification, have better health outcomes, better employment outcomes, and higher incomes across their lives.
School participation is important as it maximises life opportunities for young people, by providing them with education and support networks. School helps people to develop important skills, knowledge and values which set them up for further learning and participation in their community.
Wantirna College places great importance in all students being at school on time, every day the school is open for instruction.
We set our attendance rates in line with the VCE requirements of a minimum of 90%. However, this equates to a student having a day off every week across the year and to put this into context, if a child has an attendance percentage of 90% from Year 7 to Year 11 then this is equivalent to missing over 6 months of school! This means that developmentally they are behind their peers and ultimately this can have a long-term impact on future career pathways.
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.
Family Holidays - Family holidays should be planned to take place during school holidays where possible, not during the term. If it is unavoidable to go on holiday during term time, make sure that you talk to school in advance, and work with us to develop an absence learning plan.
“Day off” – Think twice before letting your teenager 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 or skip out of school during the day. There can be many reasons for truancy; the best way to address this is for schools and parents to work together. While all absences can effect academic performance, Department of Education statistics show that unexcused absences are a much stronger indicatorof lower reading and maths achievement.
School Refusal - School refusing students experience significant emotional distress not only when going to school but also at the thought of going to school; they may be absent from school for weeks or even months at a time. School refusal differs from Truancy as children generally stay home with the knowledge of their parents and despite the best efforts to encourage their child to go to school. For further information about this topic, please download this attachment:
HELP US !!
Always add attendance notes on Compass through your child’s portal. This helps us to build a picture of the reasons for absence and what we can do to support families.
We actively encourage you to do this every time your child is away. If you do not know how to do this, please contact the General Office for assistance.
We understand that sometimes getting your child to school may be difficult. We are keen to work with you to improve your child’s attendance. If you would like to discuss this further, please contact your child’s Year Level Leader, Middle School Leader or the school’s wonderful Wellbeing team.
From there, we will look to put in supports at a school level including, if necessary, external supports from Headspace and Navigator, to ensure that your child has the best chance to be successful in attending.
James Doble
Assistant Principal