Attendance
ATTENDANCE
Attached to the newsletter is an infographic about attendance and why every minute matters. In New South Wales, all children from six years of age are legally required to attend a school or be registered for homeschooling. After they complete Year 10 and until they turn 17 years of age, students then have the following options. They may also be in:
- full‐time further education and training (eg TAFE, traineeship, apprenticeship)
- full‐time, paid employment of an average of 25 hours per week; or
- a combination of both of the above.
Children are expected to attend all school activities on time. Students must arrive at the College before 8.43 when the warning bell goes for homeroom. Regular attendance helps your child:
- develop the skills needed to access the world of work and other opportunities
- learn the importance of punctuality and routine
- make and keep friendships.
Parents are asked to limit the times their children arrive late to school or leave early.
ABSENCES
If your child has to be absent from school, you must provide a reason for your child’s absence. To explain an absence parents and carers are asked to:
- send a note in with your child to hand to the office,
- contact the school via phone or email,
- Respond to SMS messages sent in the morning with an explanatory note.
The Principal may accept a small number of absences. For example, if your child:
- has to go to a special religious ceremony
- is required to attend a serious and/or urgent family situation (eg a funeral)
- is too sick to go to school or has an infectious illness.
If you consider that it is in your child’s best interests to be exempted from the legal requirement to attend school, you must discuss this with your child’s Year Coordinator. Under certain circumstances, the Principal can grant your child leave (no form required) or they will provide you with an ‘Application for Exemption from Attendance at School’ form and assist you in completing it. The Principal will consider your application and decide whether to grant a ‘Certificate of Exemption from Attendance at School’.
Parents intending to seek an exemption must give the Principal at least a full term’s notice of the request. These exemption regulations also apply for students requesting an absence from school to participate in employment in the entertainment industry, participation in accredited elite sporting programs and for students in Year 10 undertaking a full-time apprenticeship or traineeship.