Dear Parents and Care Givers

As Term 3 ends, I write to remind you about your responsibilities under the Education Act for ensuring your child has regular attendance at school. Not only is it a legal requirement under the Act  for students under the age of 17 to attend, but for senior students it is essential for them to maintain good study habits to ensure the best possible results for their senior schooling.

There has been a concerning pattern of behaviour recently amongst junior and senior students signing in and out of the College with parental permission. Students are required to be at school all day unless they have a scheduled appointment. This is College Policy and a condition you have agreed to uphold as part of your child’s enrolment with us. For significant repeated attendance issues, I can request a medical certificate to certify a reasonable absence from school. As a mandated reporting organisation, the College is required to report chronic non-attendance issues to FACS.

Parental support is essential. We are here to assist you with attendance issues and to make adjustments as needed. I could place students on afterschool detention for missing time, this is an unfair consequence for teachers to give up their time to supervise late students, and I am not asking staff to do this. Your child may lose their lunch break to make up time; this is also not ideal as this then affects their ability to concentrate in classes and places unfair burden, yet again on teachers who are entitled to a lunch break. It also does not teach your child anything about responsibility for their actions as a young adult. They do not get detention in the workplace they simply lose their jobs!

I have seen the latest Yr 11 end of course exam results and they are concerning. There is clear evidence a significant portion of the cohort are not utilising their time to study, revise and act on feedback provided by teachers and this is concerning for your child’s future.

It is our responsibility to prepare quality lessons, deliver the HSC curriculum as required by NESA, to teach your child in class, assess their assignments and give them the skills to pass their HSC but we cannot get the marks for them. This is up to them. 

You may receive a letter in your child’s Yr 11 report, which indicates our concerns for their pattern of study. Should you receive a letter, I would recommend contacting the College to meet with the Assistant Principal to discuss the best academic options for your child moving into Yr 12. 

I have attached the relevant NSW DET policy regarding attendance at school for the information of all. 

I hope the Holidays are restful and safe.

Good Wishes

Trazel

Compulsory school attendance

Regular attendance at school is essential for students to achieve quality life outcomes. Schools, in partnership with parents, are responsible for promoting the regular attendance of students.

Compulsory schooling

Parents or carers of children of compulsory school age are responsible for ensuring their child attends school every day. Children must commence school by age 6 and then complete year 10.

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.

https://education.nsw.gov.au/student-wellbeing/attendance-behaviour-and-engagement/school-attendance