Attendance

Yes, from the very first day! If children and students miss the basic skills in the early years of schooling they often experience learning difficulties later on. It has been shown that irregular attendance in the early school years can lead to poor patterns of attendance in primary and then secondary years.

Yes. All children who are enrolled in an educational setting are expected to attend on a regular basis.

Yes, unless:

• The child is too sick to leave the house.
• The child has an infectious disease like chicken pox, mumps or measles.
• The child has an injury preventing movement around school.
• The child is going with his/her parents/caregivers on a family holiday that cannot be arranged during school holidays. This is arranged with the principal prior to the absence by applying for a school exemption.
• The principal is provided with any genuine and acceptable reason preventing the child’s attendance.
• A medical or dental appointment could not be made out of school hours (wherever possible, appointments should be made out of school hours).

Yes. Contact the front office on the morning your child is away. If you haven’t contacted the school you must supply a note with reason for absence for the days missed. If your child has an illness more than 3 days, a medical certificate will help explain the absence.

Yes. You should immediately contact the preschool or school to seek assistance.

There are many staff members who can assist you if attendance is an issue for your child. You can discuss your concerns with your child’s teacher or preschool director (in preschool); or class teacher, school counsellor, year level manager, deputy or principal (in school). If the problem persists, Student Attendance Counsellors, based at district offices, can provide additional support to school students and their parents/caregivers to maintain regular patterns of school attendance.