The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 Has Been Proclaimedand As Such the School Leaving

Rationale:

The Education and Training Reform Act 2006 has been proclaimedand as such the school leaving age has increased from 15 years of age to 17 years of age.
It is a legal requirement that students are enrolled at a registered school (government or non-government) or registered for home schooling until 17 years of age. Alternatively, students can undertake an educational program provided by a TAFE institute or other registered training organisation.

Aims:

To maximize student learning opportunities and performance by ensuring that children required to attend school do so regularly and without unnecessary absences.
To strengthen the sequential process of education, by minimizing the problems created when students miss important stages in the development of topics, including the difficulties involved in ‘catching up’ on missed work.
To improve student connectedness to school.

Implementation:

All enrolled students are required to attend school unless reasonable and valid grounds exist for them to be absent. (Illness is reasonable grounds for absence, shopping excursions or birthday parties, getting your driver’s licence and beauty appointments are not).
Parents have a responsibility to ensure that their children attend school regularly and are only absent if there is a valid reason as above.
Parents have a responsibility to provide a written note or to leave a message on the absence hotline to explain the reason for absence.
The Principal has a responsibility to ensure that attendance records are maintained and monitored.
The Principal has a responsibility to ensure that unexplained absences are investigated, and that high levels of absenteeism are adequately explained.
The Principal will ensure that parents of students with high levels of unexplained or unapproved absences are contacted with a view to developing and implementing strategies to minimize absences.
Ongoing unexplained absences, or lack of cooperation regarding student attendance will result in a formal attendance conference being organized. Unresolved attendance issues may be reported by the Principal to the Department of Human services.
All student absences are recorded by classroom teacher of each lesson at the beginning of the lesson. These absence records are aggregated on the schools CASES database and communicated to the DEECD.
The DEECDenrolment auditors may seek student attendance records.
Student attendance and absence figures will appear on student half year and end of year reports.
Aggregated student attendance and absence data is reported to the DEECD and the wider community each year as part of the annual report.

Evaluation:

This policy will be reviewed annually as part of the school’s three-year review cycle.

References

Swan Hill College Year 7 -10 Attendance Guidelines (see below)
Swan Hill College Year VCE/VET/VCAL Attendance Guidelines (see below)

Years 7-10 Attendance Guidelines

PURPOSE / RATIONALE

The aim of this policy is to encourage regular attendance at school by all students. For students to succeed at school and achieve their potential, research evidence points to the need for them to consistently attend their scheduled classes and actively engage in required activities and work.

Through this policy we are attempting to highlight the importance of attendance and change a ‘mindset’ where attendance is sometimes seen as discretionary, contrary to the Education and Training Act 2006 for those under 17 years of age and contrary to VCE policy where a minimum attendance is necessary to meet the requirements of a course.

ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENT

Students are required to attend school and all their classes, except where legitimate and serious reasons prevent such attendance.
All students must maintain at least an 85% attendance rate in order to receive a report indicating the ‘Satisfactory Completion’ of a year level, which would normally lead to a recommendation to progress to the next year level.
Exemptions or variations may be made to this policy for students with special circumstances, including students who enrol part way through a semester.

IMPLICATIONS OF NOT MEETING ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS

If, due to excessive absences, a student is deemed to have not satisfactorily completed the year s/he will receive a report indicating ‘Unsatisfactory Completion’ of the year and a re-enrolment interview will be required with the student / parent / guardian to discuss the options available to the student for the following year and strategies to improve future attendance. As the student has failed to complete the current year level satisfactorily, the school’s recommendation will be, in most circumstances, to repeat the current year level.

TYPES OF ABSENCE AND THEIR IMPACT ON THESE REQUIREMENTS

Key exceptions to this policy include (ie these absences will not automatically affect ‘Satisfactory Completion’ requirements):

Medically certificated absences (Certificates must be submitted to the school. The College reserves the right to verify the authenticity of medical certificates. Where feasible, and particularly in situations of extended illness, catch up work should be set and completed).
Funerals and other major family events (notified prior to the event via a note or phone call)
Legitimate appointments (notified prior to the event via a note or phone call)
College sanctioned activities. These include activities such as School Sport, Music lessons and performances, College productions, excursions and camps, work placements, student meetings, counselling, community involvement activities and others as determined by the Principal. The College Principal will make any final decision as to whether an activity is College sanctioned or not.

REDEMPTIONS

Students will have the opportunity to ‘redeem’ at least some of the days they have been absent by attending the Home Work Program on Wednesday nights. At times students may be required to attend student free days and even Friday Night catch up classes. Arrangements for attendance at these sessions would normally be made through the Sub School team.

Any student may redeem absences from school through attendance at these sessions.
Students whose attendance falls below 85% in any particular subject during the year will be expected to attend these sessions.
An essential requirement of any redemption is that any essential work for a subject (or any alternative tasks determined by the teacher) is completed satisfactorily.

APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTIONS

While, as a general principle, this policy will apply to all students, the College may, at its discretion, grant automatic exemptions in the situation where the circumstances of the student clearly warrant such exemption.
However, a student (or their parent / guardian) who has had significant certificated illness, experienced significant social or emotional difficulties, or where other exceptional circumstances exist, may also apply for or be given exemption from these attendance requirements.
Such an application should be made in writing to the Principal stating the reasons for the exemption and providing evidence to support the request.
The decision will be made by the Principal in consultation with other relevant staff. If it is deemed necessary, he/she may convene a panel to consider the application.

APPEAL PROCESS

A student / parent / guardian may appeal a decision or likely decision regarding receiving an Unsatisfactory Completion’ judgement for the year.
A student / parent / guardian wishing to appeal must make a formal approach to the Principal. In addition to outlining the reasons for appeal, applicants would be expected to attach additional evidence to support their application – eg medical or other certificates, letters of support.
The Principal may convene a panel made up of senior staff to consider the application. This panel can seek additional information from the student, any teacher(s) involved and relevant Year Level Manager.
The outcome of the appeal will be either :
The ‘Unsatisfactory completion’ judgement or potential judgement stands. The student may still, however, have the opportunity to redeem this judgement.

The ‘Unsatisfactory completion’ judgement or potential judgement will be unconditionally withdrawn.

The ‘Unsatisfactory completion’ judgement or potential judgement will be withdrawn, but conditions may be placed on that withdrawal.

SUMMARY OF KEY EXPECTATIONS IN RELATION TO THIS POLICY

STUDENTS

Students are expected to attend all scheduled classes.
If absent, students are expected to make a serious effort to catch up on any work missed or complete any alternative work set.
Even though such information should already have been provided to the teacher, students should let their teachers know of their involvement in College sanctioned activities such as music, sport, counselling, work placement, etc.

PARENTS

Parents/guardians are expected to let the College know the reasons for any absence, either by phone or letter.
Ideally, parents / guardians should telephone the school on the attendance hotline – 50 364 996 before 9:15 on the first day of an absence to let the attendance officer know of the situation. This will be accepted as official notification and will save significant follow-up work being undertaken. Follow-up medical certificates should be provided wherever possible to help meet the expectations of this policy.
Parents / guardians are expected to respond to school correspondence regarding absences including involvement in interview processes where necessary and notifying the school if they feel an exemption to this policy should be granted in particular circumstances

TEACHERS & ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Classroom teachers must monitor attendance in their own classes and keep accurate records of that attendance. If students are missing significant numbers of lessons this should be communicated to the Sub School team. The Sub School team member will monitor overall student attendance via relevant Day Map reports. If they find that a student has been absent for 3 days parents / guardians may be phoned explaining our concerns about attendance and advising them that their child’s absences may put at risk successful completion of the year.

If the student has been absent for 12 days, or 12 subject contact times ( or if less significant absences occur within a short time period) a letter will be sent to parents/ guardians explaining our concerns and advising them that this may put their child at risk successful completion of the year. An interview could be requested to develop a plan to improve attendance. When a student has had 20 days absence a follow-up letter will be sent warning of impending failure for the year and requesting an interview with the parent / guardian in order to develop a plan to improve attendance. The Sub School team will also need to monitor and assist with the Redemption, Exemption, Appeal and “Unsatisfactory Completion’ processes outlined above.

The Attendance Officer(s) will need to provide timely information on absences and assist with actions associated with specific attendance ‘trigger’ points.

The Assistant Principals will monitor implementation of this process and provide advice and technical support where necessary. In addition s/he will need to oversee and coordinate actions associated with specific attendance ‘trigger’ points.

VCE. VCAL & VET Attendance Guidelines

PURPOSE / RATIONALE :

The aim of this policy is to encourage regular attendance at school by all VCE/VCAL/VET students. For students to succeed at school and achieve their potential, research evidence points to the need for them to consistently attend their scheduled classes and actively engage in required activities and work.

We are aware that some VCE/VCAL/VET students have significant levels of absenteeism which is a source of serious concern because of the impact on their learning and achievement.

Through this policy we are attempting to highlight the importance of attendance and change a ‘mindset’ where attendance is sometimes seen as discretionary, contrary to the Education and Training Act 2006for those under 16 years of age and contrary to VCE policy where a minimum attendance is necessary to meet the requirements of a course.

The Board of Studies VCE handbook states “The school sets minimum class time and attendance rules. Where a student has completed work but there has been a substantive breach of attendance rules and the school therefore wishes to assign N to the unit, the school must assign N for one or more outcomes and thus the unit.” The SwanHillCollege VCE/VCAL/VET attendance policy clarifies the school’s attendance expectations and, as a result, students who fail to meet the publicised minimum attendance targets run the risk of failing one or more VCE, VCAL or VET units.

VCE/VCAL/VET ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS :

Students are required to attend school and all their classes, except where legitimate and serious reasons prevent such attendance.
All students must maintain at least an 85% attendance rate in each subject in order to be eligible to receive ‘Satisfactory Completion’ of that subject.
Exemptions or variations may be made to this policy for students with special circumstances, including students who enrol part way through a semester.

IMPLICATIONS OF NOT MEETING ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS :

If, due to excessive absences, a student is deemed to have not met the attendance requirements for a unit (semester subject), s/he will receive an “N” (not satisfactorily completed) for that unit. Since a minimum of 16 units over 2 or more years, including satisfactory completion of at least four unit 3 and 4 studies (year 12 subjects) are required to pass the VCE, this is likely to have implications for his/her successful completion of the VCE certificate.

Similarly excessive absences will mean that a VCAL unit may also receive “N” (not satisfactorily completed) for that unit which will have implications for the satisfactory completion of the Victorian Certificate of Applied Learning.

Note that VET modules count towards units for the successful completion of the VCE and/or VCAL.

TYPES OF ABSENCE AND THEIR IMPACT ON THESE REQUIREMENTS :

Absences of all types – parentally approved, unapproved, suspensions and truancy – will normally count towards overall school absences (see below for some key exceptions). Parents / guardians must continue to formally notify the school by phone or in writing of an absence and the reason for this absence but it is important to note that these approved absences still count towards their overall 15% maximum absences unless they are exempt (exceptions) as indicated in the next paragraph.

Key exceptions to this policy include (i.e. these absences will not automatically affect ‘Satisfactory Completion’ requirements):

Medically certificated absences (Certificates must be submitted to the school. The College reserves the right to verify the authenticity of medical certificates. Where feasible, and particularly in situations of extended illness, the completion of modified work will still be required).
Funerals and other major family events (notified prior to the event via a note or phone call)
Legitimate appointments (notified by presentation of an appointment card from the appropriate place)
College sanctioned activities (These include activities such as School Sport, Music lessons and performances, College productions, excursions and camps, work placements, student meetings, counselling, community involvement activities and others as determined by the Principal. The College Principal will make any final decision as to whether an activity is College sanctioned or not).

REDEMPTIONS

Students will have the opportunity to ‘redeem’ at least some of the days they have been absent by attending study sessions organised outside normal school hours. Such sessions may include Home Work Program, student free days, Friday Night catch up classes and attendance during holidays. Arrangements for attendance at these sessions would normally be made through the Sub School Team.

Any student may redeem absences from school through attendance at these sessions.
Students whose attendance falls below 85% during the year will be expected to attend these sessions.
An essential requirement of any redemption is that any essential work for a subject (or any alternative tasks determined by the teacher) is completed satisfactorily.

APPLICATION FOR EXEMPTIONS

While, as a general principle, this policy will apply to all students, the College may, at its discretion, grant automatic exemptions in the situation where the circumstances of the student clearly warrant such exemption.
A student who has experienced significant social or emotional difficulties, or where other exceptional circumstances exist, may also apply for or be given exemption from these attendance requirements.
Such an application should be made in writing to the Principal stating the reasons for the exemption and providing evidence to support the request.
The decision will be made by the Principal in consultation with other relevant staff. If it is deemed necessary, he/she may convene a panel to consider the application.

APPEAL PROCESS

A student / parent / guardian may appeal a decision regarding receiving an ‘N’ for a VCE/VET/ VCAL subject.
A student / parent / guardian wishing to appeal must make a formal approach to the Principal. In addition to outlining the reasons for appeal, applicants would be expected to attach additional evidence to support their application – eg medical or other certificates, letters of support.
The Principal may convene a panel made up of senior staff to consider the application. This panel can seek additional information from the student, any teacher(s) involved, the VCE or VCAL coordinator and relevant House leader.
The outcome of the appeal will be either :

The ‘N’ judgement stands. The student may still, however, have the opportunity to redeem this judgement.