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Students must come to school every day the school is open. This is known as regular attendance.

Students are more likely to want to come to school and achieve if they feel:

• included
• valued
• respected
• supported.

Students who miss school often

The attendance policy defines the following groups of students as at risk because of how often they miss school.

• Habitual non-attendance: a student misses 5 to 9 school days in a term. This is for any reason.
• Chronic non-attendance: a student misses 10 or more days in a term. This is for any reason.

For students in these groups, we assess the level of risk to their learning and wellbeing. When a student is at risk we will talk with the family about the issues.

Our school's vision

At Victor Harbor High School we are committed to providing an inclusive learning environment where all students are supported as individuals. Students engage in programs of learning that foster individual growth across academic, personal and social skills. Continuity of relationships and learning depends on regular attendance. Attendance is a shared responsibility between staff, students, families and in the case of habitual and chronic attendance regional support services (social work, truancy, behaviour). A House/Sub school approach tailors supports specific to individual student’s needs through Student Support Teams

How we follow up if a student misses school

This is an overview of student absences follow up. These steps are adjusted to support individual student and family needs. Working in partnership helps us to manage risks early and reduce absences.

1. If a student misses school, we record their absence. We also record the reason given by the parent or carer.
2. If we receive no reason, we follow up with the parent or carer. This is usually by phone or text (SMS).
3. If the absences continue or there are concerns raised by the absence, we keep following up. This might be by phone, email, meeting or a letter.
   • We support the family to look at any issues that stop the student from going to school.
   • If needed, we connect the family to other services. For example student support services.

Our data

At Victor Harbor High School our student attendance records help us to plan how we improve school attendance.

We routinely analyse data. We look at patterns. For example the attendance of different year levels. We also look at individual student attendance.

Several key initiatives have been implemented, including; • regular reporting to families on Attendance, Achievement & Behaviour (AAB) data, • a move to live monitoring and reporting of overall absence rates via Daymap, • introduction of daily SMS absence notifications to families, and • introduction of vertical House structure 8-11 ensuring continuity of key school staff for families over a four-year period. In 2020 there was a notable rise in the number of students within the categories of chronic and habitual non-attenders, potentially linked to COVID-19. This has led to an increase in referrals to regional Support Services, which has impacted that sector’s ability to provided follow up and support to families. At a site level, students are identified through individual student referral process by staff. Students and families are then supported through an individual case management approach by Student Support Teams. These teams are comprised of; Assistant Principals, House Leaders, Sub School Leaders, Engagement & Wellbeing Leaders, and the Aboriginal Education team.

Our approach to improving attendance

At Victor Harbor High School our attendance strategies are guided by the ºÚÁϳԹÏn Department for Education's attendance policy.

We will plan, implement and review the following attendance improvement actions. We will do this with our governing council, staff, students, families and local community.

Promote

We will promote the importance of education from the earliest years of life and throughout the schooling years as a school community priority of the highest value.

Our actions

Assess

We will assess patterns of non-attendance and circumstances. We will use this to inform the development of appropriate targeted, intensive and coordinated interventions.

Our actions

Engage

We will actively engage and include all children, young people and their families in education and interventions which support attendance.

Our actions

Support

We will provide support to address the barriers to attendance, learning and wellbeing. We will make sure there is inclusive support for children and young people so they can be physically present and engaged in education.

Our actions

Monitor

We will monitor attendance to make sure that risks are identified, supports are in place, and progress is monitored.

Our actions

Evaluate

We will evaluate the need for further or ongoing interventions, referrals for external support and mandatory notifications.

Our actions