PARENT INFORMATION

Students who miss school often

• Habitual non-attendance: a student misses 5 to 9 school days in a term. This is for any reason.
• Chronic non-attendance: a student misses 10 or more days in a term. This is for any reason.

For students in these groups, we assess the level of risk to their learning and wellbeing. When a student is at risk we will talk with the family about the issues.

Our school’s vision

All students have a right to an education. This gives them the best opportunity to reach their full potential.

We have a safe, welcoming and inclusive environment where students can learn and grow. Parents and carers are important partners in this process. We work with parents, carers and students to find out why someone is missing school. We provide supports that are specific to each student’s needs.

How we follow up if a student is absent from school

This is an overview of how we follow up student absences. We might change these steps to fit in with a family’s needs. A quick follow up helps us to manage risks early and reduce absences.

1. If a student is absent from school, we record their absence. We also record the reason given by the parent or carer.
2. If we receive no reason, we follow up with the parent or carer. This is usually by phone.
3. If the absences continue or there are concerns raised by the absence, we keep following up. This might be by phone, email, meeting or a letter.

We support the family to look at any issues that stop the student from going to school.

If needed, we connect the family to other services. For example student support services.