Attendance Policy

Vision

  1. All students attend school regularly and punctually.
  2. Continuity of learning and social interaction is maintained at a high level.

Action

  1. Teachers will be issued with “Roll Class Absence Form” which is to be completed daily in blue/black pen and forwarded to the office by 9.30 am each day for data entry to EDSAS programme.
  2. Teachers are required to complete roll sheets thoroughly, recording lateness and the relevant codes. This is to be done as soon as possible in the morning every day.
  3. If an alteration is made to your “Roll Class Absence Form” after the entry process has been completed, please do so in red pen, so this can easily be seen and corrected on the computer at the time of the next data entry. The person entering the data will initial corrections once completed.
  4. Irregular attendance causing a concern to teachers is to be reported to the Principal in writing via the ABSENTEE FOLLOW UP FORM provided to classroom teachers and kept in rolls.
  5. Teachers will be notified of phone messages re absence via an ABSENTEE NOTE. Please keep in roll books.
  6. Absences for part of the day or early dismissal – Parents/caregivers who arrive at school between 8:45 am and 3:10 pm to collect students are required to report to the front office to fill in an EARLY DISMISSAL FORM. This form is given to the teacher at the time, who then dismisses the child. (NIT or relieving teachers return these slips to class teachers to store in roll books.)
  7. Teachers must follow Education Department policies and guidelines for all matters related to attendance and absenteeism. If a student is absent for longer than 3 days without explanation, a phone call to the student’s home should be made. This is to be initiated by the class teacher.
  8. Front Office SSO collates all attendance/absences each term and print off hard copy.
  9. Class teachers check and sign these sheets as an accurate record for their class – filed as the official office DECS record. At the end of each term, a hard copy of your roll will be printed, given to you to sign as a true and correct record, and then filed in the office as the official Department of Education, Training and Employment record. It is the teacher’s responsibility to ensure that records are up to date and accurate.
  10. Class teachers enter absences on student official record folders by Week 2 of the following term.

Review

  1. When reviewing student absences for each term, teachers discuss concerns with Principal eg. More that 7 absences (unless prolonged illness) per term, significant attendance patterns.
  2. Students' parents/caregivers are notified by class teacher of concerns.
  3. If no improvement in the following term, Principal informed and follows up with parent/caregiver.
  4. If no improvement, class teacher completes Student Attendance form and refers to Student Attendance Counsellor.