Following the Education and Training Reform Act 2006 (Vic), schooling is compulsory for children and young people aged from 6 to 17 years unless an exemption has been granted. Parents/carers must enrol a child of compulsory school age at a registered school and always ensure the child attends school when the school is open for instruction.

For absences where there is no exemption in place, the parent/carer must explain on each occasion the reason for the absence from the school. The school will determine if the reason provided is an acceptable reason for the parent to meet their responsibilities.

Why Attendance is Important

We all want our students to get a great education, and the building blocks for a great education begin with students coming to school every day. If students miss school regularly, they miss out on learning the fundamental skills that will set them up for success in the later years of school.  There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes. Each missed day is associated with progressively lower achievement in Numeracy, Writing, and Reading.

To encourage attendance, Whittlesea Primary School:

• Has an Attendance Policy as part of their Student Engagement Policy
• Maintains attendance records
• Identifies and follows up on unexplained absences
• Records student attendance twice per day (Primary Schools)
• Records, in writing, the reason given for each absence (Compass note/entry)
• Advises parents/carers of unexplained absences, as soon as practicable on the same day of the absence (10.00 am SMS)

Attendance Tips for Parents

• Schools want to work in partnership with parents – act early if you have any concerns by contacting your child’s school and asking for advice and support.
• Remember that every day counts.
• There is no safe number of days for missing school – each day a student misses puts them behind and can affect their educational outcomes and their social connectedness.
• Talk positively about school and the importance of attending every day
• Open and prompt communication with your child’s school about all absences is a good idea
• Avoid making routine medical and dental appointments during the school day or planning family holidays during the term

Please contact the school for help if you are concerned about your child’s attendance and/or well-being. Whittlesea Primary School wants to work in partnership with all families to ensure that all students attend school every day.  

Attendance: Arriving at & Leaving from School 

Student safety at Whittlesea Primary is our highest priority, and the safe and appropriate supervision of students is an important element of our duty of care. Part of this duty is ensuring parents and students know our student supervision arrangements before and after school.

Before school: School grounds are supervised at 8.35 am to the start of class at 8.50 am.

After school: School grounds are no longer supervised; however, our Yard duty teachers walk the students over to bus stops, which are located on Plenty Road. Students on school grounds outside these times will not be supervised (unless they are attending a before- or after-school care program or supervised extracurricular activity).

Parents/carers are requested to ensure that students do not attend school outside of these supervised times unless they attend before—or after-school care or a pre-arranged supervised activity (e.g., sports practice).

Families are encouraged to contact TheirCare at whittlesea@theircare.com.au for more information about the before- and after-school care facilities available to our school community or if you would like any further information about our student supervision arrangements.

A copy of our school’s Yard Duty and Supervision Policy is also located under the student documentation tab of our website. This policy includes Example School’s student supervision arrangements throughout the day, including before and after school.