Attendance

Students must attend school regularly so they can achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options.

In NSW, all children from the age of 6 are legally required to attend school or be registered for home schooling through the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). All students must complete Year 10, or its equivalent.

After Year 10 and until they turn 17, students must be:

• in school or registered for home schooling or
• in approved education or training (e.g. TAFE, traineeship, apprenticeship) or
• in full-time, paid employment (average 25 hours/week) or
• in a combination of work, education and/or training.

Enrolled students 17 years and over are required to attend school regularly to meet Higher School Certificate course requirements.

More information on compulsory school attendance is available below.

• Compulsory school attendance - information for parents

For more information about compulsory school attendance, visit:

• School Attendance Policy
• Student wellbeing – compulsory school attendance.

It’s always wonderful to have our students in classrooms, ready to engage and learn. Our teachers and school staff are committed to fostering growth and opportunity, and we are here to work with you to support your child to reach their full potential.

Consistently going to school has countless benefits – from learning, to creating social connections and improving wellbeing through access to support and quality education.

Students are required to attend school every day, whether it’s the first or last day of the term, Mondays, Fridays or days dedicated to sports carnivals, school excursions and incursions.

As we look ahead to the remainder of the school year, I’d like to remind our school community that we are here to work with you to support your child to thrive. We know that families experience a variety of challenging circumstances, and we are committed to working with you to address any barriers to regular attendance.

Thank you for being a part of our school community and for partnering with us to ensure students access the endless benefits of regular school attendance.

Absences

Parents of children from Kindergarten to Year 12 must ensure their children attend school every day. On occasion, your child may need to be absent from school. Justified reasons for student absences may include:

• being sick or having an infectious disease
• having an unavoidable medical appointment
• being required to attend a recognised religious holiday
• exceptional or urgent family circumstances e.g. attending a funeral.

Parents must provide an explanation for absences to the school within 7 days from the first day of any period of absence. Where an explanation has not been received within the 7-day timeframe, the school will record the absence as unexplained on the student's record.

If your son is absent from school, please Contact us and let us know why as soon as possible, even if it’s just a few minutes at the start or end of the school day. Of course, there will be times when your child is unable to be at school, like when they are unwell. Medical appointments should take place outside school hours where possible, and family holidays should be taken in term breaks.

If your child is feeling anxious about coming to school and you need support, please reach out to your child’s teacher or to me directly. There are also helpful resources for parents and carers on the NSW Department of Education website.

Updating contact details  - are your contact details up to date?

Sometimes we will need to contact you, including on the day that your son is absent, or if you haven’t notified the school with a reason for your son being away.

If your contact details are out of date or if you’re not sure, please Contact us so we can update our records and can contact you quickly when we need to.

Please include parent/carers name, address, phone numbers, email address and emergency contact details. Please remember to contact the school if any of these details or your circumstances change. This is particularly important so we can work together to protect the wellbeing of our students through the reporting and monitoring of student absences.

Missing school  -  Let us know if your child is absent

The wellbeing of our students is extremely important to us. One way we protect the wellbeing of your child is by fulfilling our responsibilities as both parents/carers and school staff by reporting and monitoring student absences.

Please remember to Contact us.  This is best done early in the morning if your son is going to be away or late for school so your son’s absence can be recorded correctly and we can provide appropriate support for you and your family.

For further information on the processes we use to record, monitor and follow-up student attendance and absences please read our  School Attendance Policy.

Common non-attendance - Supporting regular school attendance

Attending school every day allows your child to get the most out of their learning and improve their career and life options.

This includes attending school for full days on rainy days, sports carnivals, birthdays and religious or cultural occassions . Regular school attendance can help expand your child’s learning and create positive relationships with their peers.

If you require support in getting your child ready and motivated for school, please reach out to us.

Read more about the benefits of regular attendance on the department website.

School refusal - Support available to help your child’s attendance

We know that it can sometimes be challenging getting your child to school, especially if they are experiencing anxiety or refusing to attend school.

They might be worried about their schoolwork, their friendship circles, playing sports or being away from their family. If you are concerned about your child's attendance at school or any other issues that may affect their attendance, please reach out to me or one of your child’s teachers.

We are here to support you and your son to make sure they are ready and engaged at school.

You can also access resources on the department website to support positive conversations with your child about attending school.

If you speak a language other than English and need help talking with our staff, please telephone the interpreter service on 131 450. This service is free. Listen in your language or see How to contact the Telephone Interpreter Service.

Does your child need extra support?

Our learning and support team is here to help. Visit Additional learning support before you complete the enrolment form to learn how we can best support your child.

Learn more