ample attendance policies Ararat West Primary School The story

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1 S ample attendance policies These sample attendance strategies outline a range of best practice strategies already in place, at the school, network and regional level and may help other schools in developing their approach to improving school attendance. Ararat West Primary School Ararat West Primary School is one of four primary schools (three government, one Catholic) that serve the community of Ararat, and has a current enrolment of 275 children. For a long time the school had a cohort of students in Like School Group 1, and changed three years ago to Like School Group 4. The story Continual school improvement has been a focus at Ararat West Primary School for an extended period of time. The school regularly reviews its approaches to further drive improvements in student learning outcomes. Concerns had been raised about students not fully reaching their potential and, upon investigation of available data, it was revealed that attendance rates were a concern. This was particularly so for a small group of students who were regularly late or failed to attend for significant periods of time. Inadequate reasons for their absences were also identified, as quite often parents thought it was acceptable for their child to miss some school, but did not realise the extent of time their child may have missed. Reasons included taking shopping trips with their parents, family holidays, medical or dental appointments without returning to school for the remainder of the day, and relatives visiting from out of town. It was decided that taking an approach that combined educating parents, students and the wider community, and closely monitoring and providing welfare for families in need, would deliver the best results. The underpinning philosophy is based on creating a school environment where children want to be at school and demand to be on time. This requires an approach that caters for all students and their families and which addresses more than just the academic aspect of education. The school has employed a wide range of strategies designed to raise the awareness of parents of the critical importance of children being on time and at school every day. Strategies which have been implemented to successfully improve student attendance include: Whole-school/community communicating clearly to parents regarding attendance expectations informing parents about current research that links attendance with student achievement levels providing information to parents on the sequential nature of lessons and learning and how their child s learning can be severely disrupted if they miss crucial learning points including regular articles in the newsletter reporting absence rates through the school newsletter and comparing them with state norms providing regular flyers with current research on the importance of being at school and on time every day Attendance strategies and sample policies 23

2 making announcements at weekly assemblies making presentations at information evenings for prospective Prep parents to ensure that they clearly understand the importance of being at school and on time daily. Classroom regularly monitoring student attendance data including weekly analysis and identification of at risk students identifying trends for high absence days and publishing this information in the school newsletter and separate flyers to parents ensuring a strong welfare and supportive approach is provided for families who are experiencing difficulties providing a stimulating and exciting classroom environment providing a wide range of experiences designed to excite and enthuse students providing regular reminders for children insisting on notes to explain all absences promoting upcoming activities and classroom programs verbally rewarding students who improve their attendance rates over time. Administration using formal letters and follow-up phone calls to contact parents of children with ongoing attendance issues making phone calls to parents after morning roll has been marked and, if their child was absent, and seeking a verbal reason and reminding them as to the importance of the child being at school using CASES21 to generate absence reports on a monthly bases formally reporting absences on mid and end of year written reports working closely with families and support agencies when families are suffering hardships or are in crisis to ensure that students are at school in an environment that has order and routine. Through the implementation of these strategies the school has consistently shown improved student attendance data over the past few years. What has been important is that these strategies and the messages around student attendance are regularly reinforced, and not just developed, implemented and then forgotten about. It is about building a culture and an expectation that It s Not OK to Be Away throughout the wider community. 24 It s not OK to be away

3 Bendigo Senior Secondary College Attendance policy 1 Students are expected to maintain a satisfactory commitment to all units in which they are enrolled. This includes student support classes, literacy support program, tutor program activities, vocational education and training (VET) classes, VCAL classes, work placements and tutor group meetings and interviews. 2 Full attendance and punctuality is required at all timetabled classes, assemblies, tutor group meetings and compulsory activities. 3 When a student is absent he/she is required to provide a written explanation from a parent upon return to college no later than three school days after the student s return. A medical certificate is required for absences in excess of three school days. 4 It is a student and parent responsibility to provide evidence of legitimate absences. It is the college s prerogative to determine the legitimacy of any explanation. Students wishing to participate in a family holiday during the school term need to discuss the circumstances with their student coordinator. A Request for Extended Absence form needs to be completed well in advance of the planned absence. 5 When a student has reached three unapproved absences for a particular unit parents will be notified. When a student has reached six unapproved absences further consultation between the college, parent and student will occur. If the absences are not approved by the college, the student is required to attend a designated catch-up class. The student s result for the unit will be N until the student has attended this class. Failure to attend as arranged will result in an N. Students who reach ten unapproved absences in a unit will receive an N for the unit. Where attendance in a number of units continues to be unsatisfactory in spite of the above steps being undertaken, the student s enrolment in the college may be withdrawn. The student may be able to re-enrol in the college at the beginning of the next semester or the next year. 6 Lateness to timetabled classes, assemblies and group meetings is unacceptable. Any student arriving more than five minutes late for timetabled classes or activities without an acceptable reason will be recorded as late. Students who are persistent in their lateness will be required to undertake an interview with their student coordinator, with appropriate sanctions put in place to overcome this lateness. 7 Students are not required at the college until their first class, tutor group meeting or assembly. They may leave after their last class, tutor group meeting or assembly. During lunch students are allowed to leave the college grounds for personal business. 8 Any students leaving a class for the purposes of research must gain the permission of a teacher. 9 Students who must leave the college during any class (other than for research), assembly or group meeting, must sign the Leavers Book in the student coordinators office before leaving the college grounds. 10 Any student who is ill or injured at school must report to the sick bay through any staff member of the student coordinators office. Ill or injured students must not leave the college grounds without reporting to a staff member or student coordinator. Note: Counselling aims to ensure that students see the catch-up classes as a limited opportunity to redeem the situation and not a global soft option to avoid their responsibility to attend regular classes in the first instance. At the same time this should avoid the students tendency to see the process as punitive and externally imposed, rather than one of personal responsibility. Attendance strategies and sample policies 25

4 Counselling and decision-making Three or more unapproved absences within any subject area letter sent to parents, with notification of absences. Six or more unapproved absences within any subject area letter sent to parents, with notification of students being at risk of receiving N for the subject, and providing notification of the need to complete a catch-up class. More than nine unapproved absences student receives an N for the unit. Special provision may be appropriate in certain circumstances, for example student support coordinator counselling. Refer the student to the Managed Individual Pathways team/student support coordinator. Provisional N may be used. Release from Class form may be used. Note: The same attendance expectations apply to all students, regardless of the program being undertaken. A VCE unit requires 50 hours of class time. If students are not required for specific short-term or longer-term regular class commitments, they should not be marked absent in the usual way. Unit changes during a semester There should be consultation between the VCAL coordinator and/or VCAL tutor/vet program manager/ict pathways coordinator and relevant student coordinator plus classroom teacher prior to parent interview or discussions to ensure a coordinated and consistent approach. All changes should be documented on a Unit Change form, with additional specific questions re VCAL program impact, and a parent signature obtained. Exiting students Consultation between the VCAL coordinator and/or VCAL tutor/vet program manager and relevant student coordinator prior to parent interview, to provide a coordinated and consistent approach. Parents must be interviewed where possible. Students should be referred to regional staff/ Managed Individual Pathways team as appropriate. Options to be considered include a part-time program in conjunction with work placement; continued enrolment in VCAL units plus a minimum of other units; other options. VCAL section of Enrolment Withdrawal form to be signed. 26 It s not OK to be away

5 Box Hill Senior Secondary College Accurate information There is a need for good information and data systems. In a senior school, in particular, this necessitates that attendance records are taken every session. Efficient information systems Some sort of efficient technology is therefore required. Box Hill Senior Secondary College uses a web-based product called RollCall. Staff update the system using either Palm Pilots or any PC connected to the Internet. Staff update the system at the end of each day so that information is always current. This process is very quick as the system defaults all students to present. Therefore, once a class list is opened it is only necessary to enter information for those students who were absent or late. The application also produces a variety of reports that provide accurate data which can be used in a variety of ways. Good records When students are confronted with accurate records of their attendance pattern they are often surprised how the seemingly occasional absence accumulates. Good records: provide accurate information to the school for evaluation and planning purposes provide accurate data to inform parents provide regularly updated progress reports underpin the student management processes of the college. Expectations The school sets very clear attendance expectations. For instance, the school will fail students on attendance criteria alone. Regular and frequent feedback The school produces monthly progress reports that include an attendance report. Attendance is seen as one of a number of integrated elements that requires regular and frequent feedback as part of the well-organised goal setting and student planning process (Managed Individual Pathways). Parents can access attendance records and progress reports for their son or daughter via the Internet. Make-up classes The school runs limited make-up classes for students. Experience has shown that extensive availability of these classes reduces the responsibility and motivation of students to attend their regular classes. Hence they are offered for a limited time and usually in conjunction with counselling. Attendance requirements per cent attendance is expected at all timetabled classes, assemblies, mentor sessions, course group meetings and other compulsory activities. 2 Lateness to timetabled classes and activities is unacceptable. When a student is late to class this will be recorded. 3 Unless requested by a teacher, students are not required to attend college until their first timetabled class, meeting or assembly, and may leave after their last class. During recess, lunch time and private study periods, students are required to remain at the college. Students who need to leave the college between timetabled classes, or go Attendance strategies and sample policies 27

6 home due to illness, must have parental consent and are required to report to their student coordinator to sign out. 4 Participation in authorised excursions, sporting teams, performances, instrumental music and college extra curricula activities is not counted as an absence. It is the responsibility of all students to consult with the teachers of any classes missed to ensure they catch up with work set. Where a student s progress is of concern the teacher should consult with the mentor and student coordinators. 5 Absences may be approved if a written explanation from a parent or a medical certificate is provided no later than five days after the student s return to school. Notes should be clearly marked with the student s full name and mentor group and date of absence. These notes should be given to the mentor during the weekly mentor meeting following the absence. 6 Consistent with Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority requirements, a 90 per cent minimum attendance policy will apply, covering authorised absences related to illness and appointments. Students are encouraged to make appointments outside scheduled class times. 7 Full attendance is necessary for authentication purposes. Where a student has completed work but there has been a substantial breach of attendance requirements, the student may be awarded N (Not Satisfactory) for a unit or assessment task. 8 A student whose attendance is affected by periods of prolonged illness or other circumstances related to their personal situation/environment may apply to the VCE coordinator for special provision. The student will be required to provide supporting documentation (for example, medical reports, reports from social workers). Students are advised to do this as soon as they become aware that their attendance may be affected. Overseas trips belong in this category and students are required to complete a checklist of requirements before departure. 9 Where a student s attendance is at risk of falling below the minimum 90 per cent requirement and they are not eligible for special provision, the student will be required to develop an action plan negotiated with the student coordinators in consultation with the student s mentor and subject teachers. 10 Where an unacceptable pattern of absences and/or lateness continues and negotiated action plans have not been fulfilled, the student s enrolment at the college may be reviewed. Roles and responsibilities Student coordinators 1 To be directly responsible for students in the mentor groups allocated to them. 2 To provide each mentor with home contact details for their group. 3 To provide a weekly attendance summary from RollCall and a mentor class list for mentors. 4 To follow up attendance of those students identified as having unsatisfactory attendance by the mentor. 5 To provide the percentage attendance report from RollCall every three weeks (one copy to the coordinator and two copies to the mentor: one to file and one to distribute to students). 6 To provide the percentage attendance report from RollCall to class teachers twice per term. 28 It s not OK to be away

7 7 To print a restricted summary percentage attendance report for individual students (for example, approved attendance <80) three times per term. Follow up with: a discussion with the student a phone call to parents sending a form letter to the parents requesting an appointment with the student and their parents. 8 To undertake a follow-up of ten random students per week by visiting classes. Students 1 To attend all timetabled classes including mentor meetings. 2 To bring notes or medical certificates for all absences to mentor meetings each Wednesday. 3 After missing a 3/4 unit school-assessed task, to provide a medical certificate for the VCE coordinator who will copy the certificate for the student to present to the mentor. Excursions 1 All staff members running an excursion must enter the details onto RollCall and mark the group the day after the excursion takes place. 2 When a student is not in class, class teachers must mark them absent. Mentors 1 Prior to the mentor meeting, to collect all information from the mentor pigeonholes in the student coordinator s office. 2 To closely monitor the attendance of each student in the mentor group and to communicate with parents and student coordinators as appropriate. 3 To maintain a file of information for their mentor group that includes: student contact details weekly attendance summaries percentage attendance reports all other relevant documentation. 4 During the mentor meeting each week, carry out the following processes: collect notes and medical certificates from students and record on the weekly attendance summary that the note has been received ensure that all relevant information is clearly written (full name, mentor group and dates and time of absence) sign the note and place it in the box in the operations room query students who have not brought notes annotate on the weekly class list action taken or intended to be taken by the mentor and indicating if action/support by the student coordinator is required the original of this class list is to be retained by the mentor and a copy given to the student coordinator as soon as possible. 5 When the percentage attendance report is provided, to give students their individual printout and to discuss the document with students whose attendance is of concern. Attendance strategies and sample policies 29

8 Class teachers 1 To closely monitor student attendance in each class and discuss with individual students when attendance is a concern. To communicate with parents if appropriate. To notify mentors and student coordinators if any student s attendance is an ongoing concern. 2 To use the percentage attendance report provided twice per term to alert students whose attendance is unsatisfactory. 3 To advise students if make-up classes are required. 4 To synchronise their Palm Pilots at the end of each day. (This is especially important for parents who may be checking attendance each night on the Internet.) Cranbourne Secondary College Cranbourne Secondary College is a Year 7 12 school and has an enrolment of approximately 1200 students. The story Prior to 2003, Cranbourne Secondary College had serious concerns about the attendance rates of students attending the college. In 2003, the college decided to use funding from the Access to Excellence initiative to create four attendance officer positions. These positions were offered to staff with a time allowance of five 48-minute periods per attendance officer. The role of the attendance officer is to work with the year level coordinators to follow up on student absences, particularly for students who have been absent for three or more days. An attendance team consisting of welfare staff the four attendance officers, the college chaplain and the school nurse was formed and meets on a weekly basis. At these meetings specific attendance cases are discussed. Assemblies are held each term at years 7 10 and students with 97 per cent attendance are rewarded with certificates. Morwell Park Primary School Morwell Park Primary School is one of four government schools in the township of Morwell. The school s current enrolment is nearing 350. The story Morwell Park Primary School started addressing attendance issues by reviewing their school attendance data. The initial focus was on analysing and discussing the data in light of the impact absence has upon student learning. This was discussed with staff who accepted shared responsibility for the issue and agreed on a saturation approach. This approach involved working closely with parents and the wider community to raise awareness of the impact missing school has on student learning. Some of the strategies incorporated in the saturation approach include: putting information about the importance of attendance in the school newsletter on a regular basis including individual attendance data in school reports with comparisons to state benchmarks developing an absence protocol that defines the roles and responsibilities of all staff members when addressing attendance. 30 It s not OK to be away

9 In conjunction with their clearly articulated approach to tackling attendance issues, the staff at Morwell Park Primary School also agreed to adopt an attitude of persistence via saturation. This approach is certainly proving to be effective. Attendance rates are increasing and current data trend analysis and formal/informal feedback from parents indicates a greater awareness of the need for students being at school. Purpose To clearly define procedures and strategies that will assist the school to increase its student attendance rate. Procedures and strategies Class teacher marks attendance roll twice daily. Roll summary data is collected by pupil welfare officer who conducts an initial follow-up to parents via phone calls when absences are unexplained. Roll summary data is taken to the office where it is transferred to CASES21. If an absence remains unexplained for three consecutive days, the principal, assistant principal or pupil welfare officer makes contact by telephone, writes a letter or undertakes a home visit. Phone call protocol Contacting home by telephone regarding the absences is done with courtesy and respect being mindful that for some parents this could be a sensitive issue. Home visit protocol Home visits are never made alone unless there is consultation with the principal and assistant principal. Letter home protocol A letter is sent home detailing the absences in question and seeking explanations for each absence. Saturation approach The following strategies are used to enhance student attendance: pupil welfare officer persists in contacting/visiting parents when absences are unexplained the importance of regular attendance is included in the newsletter individual attendance data is included in school reports roles for all staff members are clearly defined classroom programs are used to reinforce to children and parents the importance of It s Not OK to Be Away a breakfast program is offered which provides an organised start to the day for many students a social services officer provides support with the primary needs of students, for example health, hygiene, nutrition the Koorie Educator follows up with Koorie families when there are attendance issues pupil welfare officer, Koorie Educator or regional liaison officers follow up when necessary special interest lunchtime activities are provided on a daily basis Attendance strategies and sample policies 31

10 principal and assistant principal undertake yard duty every day which provides a consistent approach in dealing with playground problems student attendance is linked to individual teachers for appraisal and review a walking school bus has been instigated. Competition and rewards A certificate is awarded to the class with the highest attendance rate for the week. The winning class is granted free time with pupil welfare officer. A weekly raffle is conducted consisting of the names of all students present for that week. The winner receives a $5 tuckshop voucher. A term award, for example a sausage sizzle, is provided for all students who have attended every day. A special occasion once a year, for example a trip to Woorabinda, is provided for the top 20 per cent attendees for the year. Absence protocol Marking of attendance roll by classroom teacher twice daily. Roll summary data collected and taken to office for transfer to cases. Student Absence of three consecutive days or a query from the teacher about patterns of absences is taken to the principal/assistant principal or the teacher follows the process and then completes the Absence Action Sheet. Principal/assistant principal accesses the absence data either from CASES21 or from the summary sheet. Absence action sequence Principal/assistant principal completes the Absence Action Sheet, which has provision for a phone call, a letter home or a home visit. The Action Sheet is found in a folder housed in the principal s office. Home visit protocol The home visit is never made alone unless there is consultation with the principal and assistant principal. Letter home protocol A letter is sent home detailing the absences in question and asking for explanations for each absence. Phone call protocol Contacting home by telephone regarding the absences is done with courtesy and respect being mindful that for some parents this could be a sensitive issue. 32 It s not OK to be away

11 Morwell Park Absence Action Sheet Courses of Action following observed/reported absence(s) Date Child s name Dates of absence Absence notification from teacher Response to: 3 day /query absence. Phone call Letter home Home visit Comments Attendance strategies and sample policies 33

12 Mossgiel Park Primary School The Mossgiel Park Primary School in Endeavour Hills serves the needs of those residing in state-owned rental housing in Melbourne s south-east. Although the school has a high level of transience, it has a generally stable enrolment of about students. The student population is culturally and linguistically diverse, with more than 33 different languages spoken. Student punctuality was an ongoing problem and unexplained absenteeism was above the state benchmark. A primary welfare officer (PWO), taking a whole-school approach, was employed in Term 4, 2004 to address these issues. Managing unexplained absenteeism and late attendance Student punctuality Identification Students record their late attendance in a folder. Monitoring Daily late attendance collated on a data sheet. List of reasons Why It s Not OK to Be Away compiled. List of class strategies that encourage students to be on time compiled. Students from late attendance data identified and targeted. Targeted students invited to join Early Morning Fitness Club (EMFC) from 8:40 am 8:55 am. EMFC letter sent to parents. Records of student attendance at the EMFC maintained. Individual charts certifying student attendance given each term. Weekly lunchtime meetings with targeted students implemented. Parent meetings held with the PWO and class teacher. Pancake breakfast reward for EMFC attendance provided. Phone calls made to parents by the PWO. Weekly class on-time awards presented at assembly. Challenges Creating a school culture that views being punctual to school as important. Following up ongoing late attendance. Positive indicators Whole-school approach to managing student punctuality. Staff support. Significant decrease in lost student learning time. Unexplained absenteeism Identification Accurate class rolls maintained by class teachers. 34 It s not OK to be away

13 Monitoring CASES21 Student Data Range Report utilised. List of reasons Why It s Not OK to Be Away compiled. Roll procedure for daily absences compiled. Teacher procedures for student unexplained absences implemented. Records of verbal student absence notifications from office staff and by teachers maintained. Students required to take home Student Absence Form. Letter sent to parents by the PWO if an absence is still unexplained after a week. Parents phoned by the class teacher and PWO if absence still unexplained. Staff meeting briefings given by the PWO. Parent meetings held with the PWO and class teacher. Phone calls made to parents by the PWO. Challenges Creating a parent culture that views regular school attendance and communicating student absences to the school as important. Follow-up letters not returned by parents. Positive indicators Whole-school approach to student absenteeism procedures. Staff support. Decrease in unexplained student absences. Why It s Not OK to Be Late to School Students being late to school can have an effect on the teacher, other students in their class and themselves in the following ways. Latecomers: miss out on talking to their class teacher before school miss out on playing with other children before school miss out on organisation time, for example getting their workbooks and pencil case from their tub and setting up their table for the day miss out on roll marking, lunch orders being sent to the canteen and taking monies or notices to the office and their notices and lunch orders often stay in their school bag miss out on learning time when they take their lunch order to the canteen and monies or notices to the office miss out on hearing what s happening for the day are often unsure about what they have to do in the lesson can arrive at their classroom, find that their class has moved and then waste time wandering around the school searching for the group can arrive at their classroom to find that their class has gone to a specialist lesson and they do not know where to go Attendance strategies and sample policies 35

14 particularly miss out on reading and writing learning time find learning becomes disjointed and difficult are failing to take responsibility for their learning tend not to see being late as a problem are often unapologetic to the teacher and the class distract other students when they arrive. Teachers: need to repeat instructions and/or find extra sheets or material before late students can begin working need to give late students extra attention so that they know what has happened or what the class is doing can be expected by the parents of latecomers to be available although teaching has begun have to find time to communicate their concerns to parents about unexplained absenteeism and late attendance by phone, a note or a meeting after school. Why It s Not OK to Be Away When students stay away from school their learning and friendships are affected and their teachers can become frustrated and disappointed because learning becomes disjointed and difficult. Students who stay away from school: miss the introduction of new work fail to complete work miss revision miss maths, reading and spelling tests miss homework explanation and worksheets fall behind with their learning develop disjointed home-reading routines develop inconsistent homework returns may lack confidence and feel embarrassed because they cannot do work the class has been studying feel left out from class discussion when they have missed a special class activity and cannot do the associated work miss specialist lessons because these lessons only occur once a week and so, for example, art work is not completed or is rushed in order to finish in the limited time available, physical education skill work is not practised, library work is not completed and library skill information is missed miss notices and newsletters miss celebrations, for example student of the week, class awards, excursions, school visitors, assemblies and special activities can find it difficult to break into established friendship groups and develop good friendships with their peers 36 It s not OK to be away

15 can develop a poor attitude towards school believing I won t miss much if I m not at school fail to realise that the teachers and students miss them. When students are sick parents can make it easier for them to return to school by: sending a note attending to homework and home reading routines. Sometimes students stay at home for reasons that are not acceptable. For example: the student s birthday too tired to come to school because of a late night staying home with a sibling or parent who is sick staying away for the whole day when an appointment is booked for a short time in the morning or afternoon going to the airport translating for parents weather conditions, for example too hot. Nowa Nowa Primary School Nowa Nowa Primary School is a small rural school located 20 kilometres east of Lakes Entrance. The school has 30 students and the equivalent of 2.6 full-time teachers. The school services the Lake Tyers Aboriginal Trust and has a large Koorie population, catering from Prep to Year 6. The story Having recognised attendance as being a real issue for their school, since 2001 the staff at Nowa Nowa Primary School have employed a range of strategies to improve school attendance. The strategies that have been most successful are: ensuring that parents are called on the day by either the principal, business manager, Koorie Educator or classroom teacher to check on the wellbeing of absent students regular monitoring and analysing of attendance data, which is discussed by staff on a weekly basis so that trends and students at risk can be identified acting in response to observed trends, for example having identified high absence on Fridays, surprise special events were scheduled for this day of the week introduction of random video days introduction of attendance prizes each term, for example basketballs, footballs and tennis racquets, for 100 per cent attendance for the term and a smaller prize (cinema ticket) for 90 per cent or greater attendance introduction of attendance prizes each month (certificates and a chocolate bar) awarded for 100 pent cent attendance awarding of attendance prizes each term and annually for very high attendance (over 95 per cent) weekly profiling of attendance with a regular reminder in the school newsletter that attendance is not optional but compulsory sending daily reminders to students at the end of each school day of the exciting things they can expect to happen at school the following day Attendance strategies and sample policies 37

16 absence letters generated using CASES21 and sent to parents at the end of each week noting the number of days their child was absent during that week parents are asked to contact the school to discuss the absences engaging curriculum activities, for example tennis, canoe construction, puppetry and Tae Kwon Do planned regularly. The staff also: publish attendance and late figures as well as targets in the school newsletter inform parents regularly on current research that links attendance with student achievement emphasise compulsory school attendance requirements as opposed to the optional nature of pre-school attendance promote the welfare capacity of the school to care for students while at school emphasise that teachers plan sequential lessons, which can be severely disrupted by regular non-attendance convey that some teaching strategies, such as working in groups, are rendered ineffective by the absence of one or more group members inform parents every week of attendance norms across the state and for sections of the school devise ways to reward children who attend established high absence days explore the use of the Connecting Children to School Clip-on ensure that all classrooms are motivating and stimulating and have high interest areas that will appeal in particular to Koorie children organise a friendly competition between rooms or sections of the school based on attendance for the term, for example having a free BBQ sausage sizzle lunch for the winning group use a think-tank approach involving staff, the community and children to develop innovative, outside the square strategies to encourage attendance insist on explanatory notes to explain all absences continue to phone parents of high-absence students for each absence target high absence families and children for continued counselling and monitoring of absence rates, and consider development of Individual Attendance Plans (IAP) for such students record absence rates on report forms showing a comparison with state norms at both half year and end of year have Koorie teachers focus heavily on improving attendance of Koorie children, particularly those from the Lake Tyers Trust area. 38 It s not OK to be away

17 Sale Secondary College Sale Secondary College is a multi-campus school catering for students in Years The junior campus, Guthridge (7 9), has approximately 450 students and the senior campus, Macalister (10 12), has a similar number of students.the college has adopted a whole-school focus on student attendance and has recognised that similar strategies can be used on both sites, with modifications to suit the relevant cohort of students. The student population is quite transient due to the RAAF base in this locality. In recent times there has been a demographic change and the school is drawing more students from a lower socio-economic group. The story Sale College is an Access to Excellence school. Evaluation of the attendance data and the requirements of the accountability framework prompted the school to adopt a clear, whole-school focus on improving student attendance. Awareness was raised among the staff that attendance was becoming an issue and staff were concerned about student performance at all levels. The strategy Funding was used from the Access to Excellence initiative to develop an attendance strategy. Two home-school liaison officers were employed, one based at each campus. The role of the liaison officer is: to follow up student absences via phone calls and home visits to follow up with classroom teachers work for students who are away from school for legitimate reasons to monitor student attendance including excursions, monitor class rolls and record information on CASES21 to work with the welfare team to identify and assist with specific cases of student absence to discuss with campus principals to organise a home visit team to randomly undertake spot class roll checks at various times of the school day and compare with CASES21 data. Leadership The strategy is monitored and led by the campus principals in collaboration with the welfare team at each campus. Communication Communication plays a key role in this strategy. Articles in the school newsletter highlight the role of the home school liaison officer, and regional concerns about student attendance, the college attendance policy and other information relating to student attendance feature on a regular basis. Challenges The strategy has presented a number of challenges for staff: the need to work with parents and community members to ensure development of a supportive partnership Attendance strategies and sample policies 39

18 the need for a clear understanding of the importance of maintaining good student attendance records and an awareness of their responsibility to work with the home school liaison officers the importance of following up absences. Positive indicators By 2003 attendance data indicated that there were 50 per cent fewer student absences. Where to from here? In order to ensure the ongoing success of the program it will be important: to continue to monitor and improve the new processes to review and evaluate the strategy on a yearly basis. Attendance policy Rationale Students of school age (6 to15 years) resident in Victoria are required to be in full-time attendance at a government or registered non-government school unless they are receiving approved home tuition, have a shared enrolment with a specialist setting, have received exemption from the Regional Director or are enrolled in correspondence education. Aims To maximise learning opportunities by ensuring student absenteeism is kept to a minimum. To put into place agreed processes for managing student absences within the school. Implementation All enrolled students are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Teachers mark the attendance roll at 9:00 am and 1:50 pm each day. Attendance records are entered into RollCall daily. Attendance and absence records form part of each student s half-year and end- of-year progress reports to parents. Parents of absent students are required to provide a written note detailing the reason/s for their child s absence. These notes are collected by home group/pastoral teachers and forwarded to the school office. Staff members bring to the attention of the coordinators/team leaders any student whose attendance is irregular, who does not provide written notes adequately explaining absences, or whose absences appear unwarranted. The coordinators/team leaders, after checking attendance records and consulting with the teacher and the student, decide upon a strategy to be employed. As truancy is often indicative of other problems including lack of school engagement and family issues, the support strategies employed will be determined on a case-by-case basis. However, strategies may include: initial telephone contact with parents counselling sessions for parents and/or students home visits formation of a support group 40 It s not OK to be away

19 development of Individual Attendance Plans making regular school attendance a prerequisite for extra-curricular activities attendance rewards. Ongoing truancy issues will be reported by the campus principals and possibly to the appropriate welfare and government agencies. Responsibilities Students To attend all classes. To supply home group/pastoral teachers with notes from a parent explaining all absences. To inform subject teachers of known extended absences and seek information about work missed. Home group/pastoral teachers To accurately mark class rolls. To request notes regarding absences. To monitor students and seek support from coordinators/team leaders if concerned about a particular student. To monitor weekly absence reports. To request RollCall generation of notes to send to parents. Teachers To maintain the class attendance roll. To follow up consistent lateness. To show concern for students who are absent ask them where they were and supply work missed. To monitor students and seek support from coordinators/team leaders if concerned about a particular student. RollCall administrator To generate and maintain class rolls. To accurately input daily absences on RollCall. To monitor student attendance data. To post lists of daily absences in the staff room. To provide the home school liaison officer each morning with reports of daily absences, attendances of less than 90 per cent and instances of absences of three consecutive days. Home-school liaison officer To regularly monitor student attendance rates with the aim of minimising the number of students with less than 90 per cent attendance. To call a reasonable proportion of students who are away that day. To monitor morning and afternoon absences and contact parents. Attendance strategies and sample policies 41

20 To ensure that absences approved via parent contact are given to the RollCall administrator and placed on class rolls. To support the progress of students at risk under the direction of the coordinators/team leaders/student welfare coordinator. To undertake random checks of classes and compare the results with RollCall data. To randomly select English class rolls and compare findings against RollCall data once a month. To randomly have class rolls marked during other periods and compare against RollCall data once a month. To maintain an accurate log book of parent contacts and approved absences. To maintain a folder of approved absences with justifications. Coordinator/team leaders To coordinate, monitor and support home group/pastoral teachers, home school liaison officer, teachers, students and parents in the implementation of attendance procedures and policy. Principals To oversee and support coordinators/team leaders, home group/pastoral teachers, home school liaison officer, teachers, students and parents in the implementation of attendance procedures and policy. Evaluation The initiative will be reviewed as part of the school s three-year review. Woori Yallock Primary School Woori Yallock is a primary school in the Upper Yarra Valley which caters for 240 students. Woori Yallock is in a low socio-economic area in Like School Group 7, has experienced high student absence rates and demonstrates high welfare needs. Woori Yallock is in a supportive network of local schools with a history of working together on a range of issues. The story Teachers at Woori Yallock had noticed an increasing trend in student absence over time. All year levels were well above the state-wide average for absenteeism and most were above the 75th percentile. The strategy The principal wanted to focus on improving student attendance. The issue was discussed with staff and work undertaken to identify and determine reasons for high student absences. The issue was raised at school council meetings and with the parents association in order to explain the problem and to encourage these groups to support school-based initiatives. The next step involved developing an information campaign. This included development of the slogan It s Not OK to Be Away. Parents were given information on a regular basis explaining why their children needed to be at school and defining acceptable and non-acceptable reasons for being absent. It was important to get this message across to encourage parents to value education and understand that school was important for their children. 42 It s not OK to be away

21 The slogan became the focal point of a strong marketing program aimed at selling the concept to parents that school was important and that being away reduced their child s chance of success. It appeared on all correspondence from the school, for example newsletters, sport and excursion notices. The intention was to take every opportunity to make the point that It s Not OK to Be Away. In consultation with other local schools the idea of a brochure outlining how children could be disadvantaged by parents allowing them to be absent from school was suggested. Community awareness was raised by circulating the brochure, via a letter drop, to all houses in the network area. Challenges The greatest challenge was the small proportion of students with extremely high absence rates. These students were referred for additional support from the guidance officer or school chaplain. Success In 2004 student absence data showed that all year levels were below the state average with five of the seven year levels having absence rates below the 25th percentile. Where to now? The school scaled down the program after parents indicated that they were very aware of the issues and absence rates had improved significantly. Newsletter articles on absences continue to be included occasionally and careful monitoring of absences is conducted. Any indication of a return to higher absence rates will see the program revamped and reintroduced. Yarrawonga Primary School and Secondary College Students are expected to attend school daily unless reasonable and valid grounds exist for them to be absent. Parents Parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children attend school regularly and, if absent, that they provide a written explanation to the school explaining why the absence occurred. Regular attendance provides the best opportunity for student learning. Teachers Teachers mark the attendance roll twice daily. The roll summary data collected is taken to the office for data entry to CASES21. Teachers are responsible for following up unexplained absences using the form provided. If there is no response to this form the principal or assistant principal is notified immediately. When a student is absent for three unexplained consecutive days or more, or there are obvious absence patterns, the teacher notifies the principal or assistant principal immediately. Both schools work together to develop programs that meet the needs of individual students. Principal/assistant principal The principal or assistant principal accesses the absence data and, when necessary, sends this to the student s parents with a letter asking for an explanation for unexplained absences. Parents may also be contacted by telephone regarding absences. This contact is conducted with courtesy and respect and with a recognition of the potentially sensitive nature of the issue. Contact is made with the view to developing and implementing strategies that minimise absences and build positive home school relationships. The principal is required to follow up any extensive absenteeism. Attendance strategies and sample policies 43

22 Family school support worker Ongoing unexplained absences, lack of cooperation regarding student attendance or situations where a student is experiencing significant difficulties in attending school are referred to the family school support worker. Once the school notifies the family school support worker he or she meets with the family to address those issues which negatively impact on the student s attendance. The family school support worker provides support to the student and their family to address life issues affecting school attendance. This support also involves an advocacy role with schools to develop positive relationships with all parties. The family school support worker creates sustainable interventions that can be maintained by the families, referred students and schools. Specialist services and agencies The family school support worker, with the involvement of the family, is able to make a referral to specialised professionals and so create supportive links between the family, the school and services that are relevant to the family and the student. Team effort The family school support worker meets students and their parents either at school or in the family home. There is no time limit on each case, and no minimum or maximum number of visits. The student is only exited from the program when all parties are satisfied that significant change has occurred, that is the child is regularly and happily attending school, the home situation is stable and the school has made any necessary changes to accommodate the specific needs identified. School Participation Project: Yarra Schools Network The Yarra Schools Network is a diverse group of schools in the inner city area. It comprises Abbotsford Primary School, Collingwood College P 12, Collingwood English Language School, Fitzroy Primary School, Lynall Hall Community School, Melbourne Girls College, Richmond Primary School, Richmond West Primary School and Yarra Primary School. In 2003, the nine principals of the Yarra Schools Network decided to work together and develop a community approach to the issue of school attendance. A three-year pilot project aimed at improving student attendance and engagement in network schools was initiated. A school participation officer was appointed to coordinate strategies, including a wholeschool approach in each school, and to further develop links between network schools and wider community agencies and groups. The network also wanted to explore the effectiveness of having an attendance counsellor supporting the work of their group of schools. As a result, a Network Attendance Working Group was established and the school participation officer has supported each school in the implementation of a range of strategies including: intensive parent and community education professional learning opportunities for staff effective use of data to inform a whole-school approach early identification and improved support of students and their parents joint case management and other initiatives between schools and local community groups and agencies improved transition programs. 44 It s not OK to be away