School attendance (or registered home education) is mandatory for all children between the ages of five and until the end of the year in which they turn sixteen. As a parent of a school aged child you are legally required to ensure your child/children participate/s in a formal education program. Schools also have a legal responsibility in that they are required to maintain an accurate record of all student attendance. If your child begins missing time from school which is not adequately explained, the following processes will take place:
| Level 1 | Unexplained absence |
| A staff member will make contact with you about your child’s absence. This may be in the form of SMS (text message) or a phone call. | |
| Level 2 | Three (3) days absence |
| A staff member (likely to be your child’s teacher or home group teacher) will phone you about your child’s absence. | |
| Level 3 | Five (5) days absence |
| You will receive a letter from the Principal about your child’s absence. The letter will refer to previous phone contact, including unsuccessful attempts, your responsibilities under the Education Act 1994 and a request for a medical certificate if your child has been absent for more than 5 days duration because of illness. You will be requested to contact the school to discuss your child’s attendance. You should raise with the school any issues you believe are impacting on your child’s attendance at school. | |
| Level 4 | Ten (10) days absence |
| You will receive a letter from the Principal with a print out of your child’s absences. The letter will request you make an appointment with the Principal. Your child’s teacher or grade supervisor will also be present. The meeting will involve the development of a plan to support your child’s return to school. | |
| Level 5 | Fifteen (15) days absence |
| The Principal will send you a letter restating the support available to you and your child, and the arrangements that were agreed to in the previous meeting. Another meeting will be requested to further discuss the ongoing attendance concerns. | |
| Level 6 | Twenty (20) days absence |
| The Principal will write to you explaining a referral has been made to the school social worker. The referral will include a summary of support provided from the school. The social worker will make contact with you explaining their role and remind you of your legal responsibilities under the Education Act 1994. The social worker will organise a case conference involving relevant school staff, your child and yourself. During this conference other ways to support you and your child to improve attendance will be discussed. | |
| Level 7 | Ongoing failure on part of parent to ensure attendance |
| The Social Worker and Principal will write to you, summarising what support has been offered to improve your child’s school attendance. You will be advised that the matter will be referred to the Senior Social Worker who will review the case and possibly contact Learning Services where prosecution may be considered under the Education Act 1994. | |
If you require support in ensuring that your child attends school, contact the school at the earliest opportunity.
This page has been produced by the Department of Education
Questions concerning its content may be directed by email to ServiceCentre@education.tas.gov.au or telephone 1800 816 057.
This page was last modified on 3rd August 2009. The URL for this page is: http://www.education.tas.gov.au/school/parents/attending/flowchart.
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