Attendance and absences
Missing school means your child misses out on vital information and maintaining learning routines. This can result in a loss of confidence and missing out on forming vital friendships.
Attendance is recorded each day. As a parent or caregiver you are responsible for ensuring your child attends school every day, including sports days unless your child:
- Has an unavoidable medical or dental appointment (preferably these should be made after school or during holidays)
- Is required to attend a recognised religious holiday
- Is required to attend an exceptional or urgent family circumstance (such as attending a funeral)
- Is sick, or has an infectious illness.
Students need to attend school regularly to meet the course requirements of the Higher School Certificate.
If you are having difficulty getting your child to attend school regularly, you might like to talk to the school principal or the school counsellor.
If your child has to be absent from school for any reason, including arriving late or leaving early, please either tell your child's teacher or the administration assistant at our school, or explain the reason by phone, email, or written note as soon as possible and within seven days.
Leaving Early
From time to time it is necessary to arrange for students to leave school early due to illness or an unexpected circumstance eg: illness or injury to another family member. The purpose of this document is to remind parents of our school procedures at these times.
Students Leaving School Due to Illness
- Student reports to the Front Office (if during class time the student firstly seeks permission from their teacher to report to the Front Office)
- Student discusses their circumstances with Front Office Staff
- Parents are contacted to arrange student to be picked up from the School – at no time is a student to text or call their parents or carers
Note: For safety reasons students are not able to wait for collection on the footpath at the front of the school
Note: At no time are students to leave the school grounds, without permission of their parents and/or without authorisation of the Principal or Deputies.
Applying for Extended Student Leave (5 Days or more)
If a student needs to take leave during the school term, families must follow the appropriate procedures:
1. Discuss with the School: Parents should first consult with the school and/or principal regarding the leave request.
2. Application for Extended Leave: If the leave is for travel outside school vacation periods, an "Application for Extended Leave" form is required. This form must be completed by a parent/guardian and submitted to the principal.
Complete Extended Leave Application Form
3. Principal’s Discretion: The principal has the authority to approve leave for travel or other reasons if deemed in the student's best interest. Principals cannot grant exemptions for travel.
4. Other Supporting Documentation: Travel-related leave applications should include relevant documents, such as itineraries or e-tickets. If siblings attend different schools, separate applications must be submitted to each school.
5. Approval & Attendance Recording: If leave is granted, the schoolmay issue a "Certificate of Extended Leave/Travel." The absence will be recorded as leave on the school roll and will count towards the student’s total absences for the year.
Have a question about attendance and absences?
Our friendly office team can help you get in touch.