Your child may be excused from attending school on any given day if they are sick or have a temporary medical condition that prevents them attending, or for any other reasonable reason such as bereavement.
Your child may also be excused from attending school if the principal believes that they have an infestation such as head lice, or suffer from an illness that is infectious, contagious or harmful to the health of others at the school.
You must tell the school if your child will be away so that the absence is recorded as ‘authorised’ and steps can be taken to support you in providing a learning program if the absence is extended. Your school will contact you about unexplained absences and more serious steps will be taken if there are long, unexplained absences or if a worrying pattern of absence develops.
If your child is absent from school for three or more days you must give the school a medical certificate.
Under exceptional circumstances and with official approval your child may be exempted from attending school even if they are of compulsory school age.
Exemption is not used as a disciplinary measure. It may allow a student to go to school part time instead of full time, delay a child’s starting age for attending Prep, or allow a student to leave high school early.
Exemption from enrolment requires a formal application and approval by the secretary of the department. A child who is exempt from enrolment will be issued with a certificate of exemption.
Exemptions for early school-leavers are rare and granted only if it can be demonstrated that it is in the child’s best interests to leave school before the age of 16 years.
For more information refer to the department's Exemption from enrolment webpage.
You may object, as a matter of conscience, to your child’s participation in a particular school activity. If this is the case, you must write to your child’s school principal stating the reasons why your child is not to participate.
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 4th March 2009. The URL for this page is: http://www.education.tas.gov.au/school/parents/attending/reasons.
You are directed to the disclaimer and copyright notice and a Personal Information Protection statement governing the information provided.
