Appendix 4 – Attendance Strategy

All schools in Queensland are committed to providing safe and supportive learning environments for all students which address their educational needs.

For individuals to succeed at school, regular and strong attendance is required. There is a strong evidence based link between regular attendance at school and maximized learning outcomes.

Students are more likely to attend and achieve at school if they feel accepted, valued, respected and included.

Rosewood State High School:

  • expects students to attend school on every scheduled school day unless illness or family emergency limits their attendance.
  • expects all students absences to be evidenced by a note/email/telephone call to the school office.
  • expectsappointments of a non-urgent nature to be scheduled outside of school hours.
  • expectsto work in partnership with parents to ensure regular attendance of students.
  • monitors, communicates and implements strategies to improve regular school attendance
  • believes truanting from school can place students in unsafe situations and impacts on their future employability and life choices.
  • believes attendance at school is the responsibility of everyone in the community.

School Responsibilities:

  • The Attendance Strategy is endorsed by the Rosewood State High School P&C Committee.
  • To set clear attendance targets on an annual basis and review policies and procedures in response to this data.
  • To clearly articulate the importance of attendance at core school events eg. Assembly, parent information evenings, Parent Teacher interviews, interview for enrolment
  • To clearly articulate to staff the importance of student attendance at lessons and procedures to follow if student attendance is an issue.
  • Implement strategies, processes and monitoring junctures to ensure regular review of student attendance is undertaken.
  • Report to parents on four occasions during the year of student absences (students in regular attendance) via school report cards
  • Report to parents on a needs basis for students who are flagged as needing monitoring and intervention.
  • Follow formal processes to manage and enforce attendance at State Schools.

Strategies to Promote 100% attendance:

  • Celebration of attendance on a formal basis – each term. Certificates and awards issued to students who attend 95% - 100% (as an initial school wide target)
  • Students in the senior phase who attend 95 – 100% will receive an invitation to attend the School Formal.

Strategies to Promote 100% attendance:

  • Celebration of attendance on a formal basis – each term. Certificates and awards issued to students who attend 95% - 100% (as an initial school wide target)
  • Students in the senior phase who attend 95 – 100% will receive an invitation to attend the School Formal.

School response to absences:

  • Rosewood SHS will use idAttend to monitor student attendance at school on a daily and lesson by lesson basis
  • Rosewood SHS teaching staff will close the learning loop by ensuring that students who are absent are required to complete missed work.
  • Rosewood SHS will send SMS messages for students who are absent from school on a daily basis
  • Rosewood SHS personnel will intervene with parents where a student is absent without sufficient explanation for 3 days or more, or where a pattern to absence is identified.
  • Rosewood SHS will intervene with parents where it is identified that a student has been truant. The intervention will include a face to face interview with stakeholders.
  • Students with significant absence issues will be case managed by the Youth Support Co-ordinator and Year Level Deputy Principal. This case management will include regular face to face interviews, home visits as required and appropriate and possible referral to services including Department of Child Safety and Queensland Police Service.
  • Students in the Post Compulsory Phase of learning – ie. Year 11 and 12 students face possible sanctions on their enrolment including cancellation of enrolment at Rosewood SHS.

Attendance Level / Primary Case Manager / Processes/Support Mechanisms & School Response
90% - 100% / Year Level Co-ordinators /
  • Awards on Assembly – term basis
  • Rewards event at end of year

80% – 90% / Year Level Co-ordinator
CEC (indigenous students only) /
  • YLC and DP support
  • Regular monitoring of attendance
  • Parental contact regarding absences

51% - 80% / YSC
Guidance Officer
CEC (indigenous students only) /
  • YSC/CEC/GO case manage individual students as per identified case management students.
  • Deputy Principal interview with YSC/GO/CEC
  • RASP (Re-engagement Attendance Support Plan)
  • Formalised truancy letters (CPP)
  • Formalised cancellation processes (PCP)
  • Oneschool reporting processes – truancy

0% - 50% / YSC
CEC (Indigenous students only) /
  • Home visits by YSC (accompanied)
  • Parent/carer interview with Principal and YSC/CEC
  • RASP (Re-engagement Attendance Support Plan
  • Formalised truancy letters (CPP)
  • Formalised cancellation processes (PCP)
  • Agency referral – QPS/DOCS

Attendance is a shared responsibility:

Stakeholder / Key Responsibility and Role
Students /
  • Attend school every day
  • Seek assistance if outside issues/pressures are impacting on attendance
  • Ensure notes/telephone calls are made by parent/caregiver explaining absences
  • Post Compulsory (yr 11/12) monitor attendance – including attendance at SATs and TAFE Courses

Parents /
  • Ensure student attends every day
  • Sets an expectation of daily attendance
  • Explains all absences in a timely manner – only illness/emergency absences are appropriate.
  • Yr 11/12 – provide medical certification for missed assessment/exams
  • Ensures external requirements (eg appoints) have a minimal impact on learning time.

Year Co-ordinator /
  • Investigates possible truancy – idAttend reports
  • Tracks student attendance – (Oneschool report on a fortnightly basis)
  • Supports and monitors identified at risk students in a case management approach

Classroom Teacher /
  • Sets expectations for 100% attendance
  • Provides engaging classroom experiences for students
  • Actively builds rapport with students
  • Prepared and punctual to all classes – models importance of attendance
  • Responsible for roll marking accuracy – follows through with suspected truancy
  • Closes the loop of learning for absent students
  • No Surprises – in contact with parent about absenteeism and impact on learning

Form Teacher /
  • Monitors attendance patterns and acts as an early alert to Year Co-ordinator for absenteeism patterns
  • Builds rapport with form class
  • Sets expectations for 100% attendance
  • Liaises with Year Co-ordinator regarding issues impacting on attendance (may result in referral to other support services)

Youth Support
Co-ordinator (YSC) /
  • Case manage students who have serious at risk attendance – differentiated management strategy (ie. 0 – 50% attendance)
  • Work with Guidance Officer case managing students with 50 – 80% attendance
  • Liaise with Guidance Officer for NEP where required
  • Implement risk management and intervention strategies appropriate to student situation
  • Undertakes home visits (where appropriate)
  • Implements/refers to support programs – girls program, boys program, parenting programs as required to address student attendance issues
  • RASP for chronic absenteeism
  • Parental contact – referral to outside agencies
  • Liaison with Line Manager – Guidance Officer
  • Liaison with Principal – mandatory attendance reporting

Guidance Officer /
  • Case manage students who have at risk attendance 50 – 80%
  • Preparation of NEP where mental health is factor affecting attendance
  • Implement risk management and intervention strategies appropriate to student circumstance
  • Individual Attendance Improvement Plans for chronic absenteeism
  • Parental contact – referral to outside agencies
  • Liaison with Line Manager – Principal

CEC /
  • Sets expectation for 100% attendance.
  • Case manage attendance of indigenous students with particular focus on those who fall below 90% attendance.

Administration Team /
  • Sets clear and well communicated expectations – to students, parents and community
  • Implements formal meetings with parents and students regarding absenteeism
  • Acts a point person for case management of chronic absenteeism, repeated truancy and school refusal (case management approach supporting GO and YSC)
  • Assists with individual case management of absenteeism – ie. NEP, Individual Attendance Improvement Plans (approved by Principal)
  • Analysis of attendance data relevant to year levels – reviewed with staff.
  • Formal truancy letters and recommendation to prosecute (Principal)