STUDENT ATTENDANCE
AT SCHOOL – THE SCHOOL TARGET IS 95%
Our school is commited to and implements Education Queensland Roll Marking in Schools Policy. Every parent of a child of compulsory school age (up to year 10) or a young person in the compulsory participation phase (years 11 and 12) has a legal obligation to ensure their child is enrolled and attending school or participating in an eligible option.
It is critical that a school seeks to bring out the best in young people and takes measures to ensure that students are at school as consistently as possible. There is a strong correlation between the success of our students and attendance. Young people have every reason to attend every day due to the opportunities, care and dynamism at Cavendish Road State High School .
Parents and carers of students enrolled at Cavendish Road State High School take their parent obligations seriously. Student attendance is closely monitored, recorded, encouraged and supported. Student attendance on average is very high.
Optimal attendance is encouraged and expected, students may be acknowedged for their high attendance. Students with genuine difficulties impeding high attendance, for example, through chronic ill health, are supported and are not penalised by denial of access to non-curriculum events.
All student absences are expected to be reported and an explantion for absence provided to the school by parents or carers on a daily basis. Unexplained absences are not to be accrued.
Our school regards roll marking accuracy to be a priority in maintaining duty of care and ensuring the safety of students. Rolls are marked offically twice per day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon. Class rolls are marked each and every lesson of the day. Whole, part day and lesson absences are reconciled each day. Parents and carers of students marked absent in the morning will receive an SMS text to the first nominated mobile phone number advising of their child's absence. Replying to the text message ensures parent explanation is recorded.
Our processes for monitoring and reporting on student
attendance are an important part of our capacity to do the best that we can for
your child. However, in order for these processes to be effective, we require
the support and good will of our families.
You can provide
practical support for us in the following ways:
Please
notify us as soon as possible if your child is absent from school – phone
3394 0736, text 0429 843 799 or email attendance@cavendishroadshs.eq.edu.au
Please limit the number of absences to those that are absolutely necessary.
Holidays outside the gazetted school holidays are not considered an acceptable absence.
Respond to text message that you may receive concerning your child’s absence as soon as possible.
Send a note with your child to the school within two days of their return to school if you have not already contacted the school by phone or email to explain the absence.
Ensure that your mobile phone number and email address is kept up to date in the school records. If you have recently changed phone numbers, please contact the school office on 3394 0777 during office hours.
Exemptions from Compulsory Schooling and
Compulsory Participation
WHAT IS AN EXEMPTION AND
WHY DO I NEED IT?
Decisions about exemptions are made by the principal of the school the student attends. Parents can apply for an
exemption from this obligation when their child cannot attend or it would be
unreasonable in all the circumstances for their child to attend school or
participate in an eligible option for a period of more than 10 consecutive
school days.
Situations where an
application for an exemption may be made include:
- Chronic illness
- Family upheaval
- Cultural or religious reasons
If your child is exempted from compulsory schooling,
you are excused from your obligation for your child to attend their compulsory schooling or
compulsory participation.
The school principal is not responsible for providing
an educational program to your child, however, the principal
- must be provided with sufficient evidence to approve an aplication for exemption
- must be satisfied the exemption is in the best interests of the child
- may provide an exemption for no longer a duration than 12 months
- may provide advice on other
educational options available.
APPLYING FOR AN EXEMPTION
You are encouraged to discuss with the school whether
an application for exemption is a suitable option. The school can provide you
with an Application for Exemption Form
(PDF, 165KB). It is important that supporting documentation and
evidence are attached to the application.
When a decision about the exemption has been made, you
will be informed in writing whether or not the exemption has been granted and
if any conditions have been imposed. If you are not satisfied with the decision
made, you can make a submission for the decision to be reviewed.
For further
information on student attendance please visit the Department of Education.
Student Attendance App
In the top right
of students' laptop screen, under papercut, students will find
the Attendance App. This program shows details about their attendance.
If students click on “When
have I been absent”, they will be taken to a page where they can see a graph of
their attendance over time. Above the graph they will see a calendar which will
show if they have been present, absent, late or partially absent on each
day of the year.
The benefits of the app include:
- Students
attendance % is live and accurate to the current lesson
- It shows
in hours how much time they have missed year to date
- Students
are encouraged to check the calendar and speak to any teacher if they
believe their attendance for the class is incorrect
- Student
have a trending graph so they can monitor their attendance
- Students
have access to the notices, not just for today but can access previous days
if they have been away
- A message
will appear if the student has a laptop “ready for collection” in D10