Help Guide: Calculating Your School’s Attendance Rates

Help Guide: Calculating Your School’s Attendance Rates

This document provides step by step instructions for manually calculating your school’s attendance rates for full time students. Part time students are out of scope for the STATS collection.

This document is designed for those schools that do not have technology systems that undertake these calculations for them. However, it can be used to quality assurance check the data a school technology system is producing.

For the purpose of the STATS collection, the world cohortis used in this appendix to mean a group of students at a school campus by the combination of year level, gender and all students or Indigenous only students. Using the various combinations of the above, there are always four cohorts per year level at a campus.

The following steps must be undertaken for each reference period and each cohort.

1.1Step 1: Identify part-time students

Identify any part-time students at your school. DO NOT include part-time students in the following steps, nor in your submission to the collection. Part-time students are out of scope for the STATS collection.

1.2Step 2: Identify Indigenous students

STATS requires data for Indigenous students as a sub set of all students. This means you must include Indigenous students in the counts for all students in the cohort at the campus and provide the count for only the Indigenous students in the cohort at the campus.

Therefore, you need to identify the Indigenous full-time students at your school by grade and gender. (You may find it easiest to do Step 3 onwards for the first time using a cohort of Indigenous students and then do the entire cohort including Indigenous students).

1.3Step 3: Calculate the number of school days for the reference period for each cohort

School days are the days that the school expects to be open and conducting lessons over the reference period (the time period for the data). Using a calendar that has all school holidays and non-school days marked on it for the school, count the number of school days for the school:

  • Semester 1 (usually Term 1 and 2)
  • Term 3

Next, subtract any cohort specific non-school days. The resulting number is the number of school days in the reference period for the cohort.

1.4Step 4: Calculate the Possible School Days for each student in the cohort at the school campus for the reference period

In this step, you need to work out how many of the school days at Step 3 each student in the cohort was expected to attend school, during the reference period.

The number of Possible School Days for a student must not exceed the number of School Days for the cohort calculated at Step 3.

It is highly likely that you will have a number of students whose Possible School Days is less than the school days for the campus identified in Step 3.

The following examples provide some illustration of Possible School Days for student.

Example 1: Enrolled for the entire duration of the reference period

Student A is enrolled at the school for the entire duration of the reference period. Therefore, the number of Possible School Days for Student A is equal to the school days for the cohort in the reference period.

Example 2: Student enrols at the school half way through the reference period

Student B is enrolled at the school half way through the reference period. Therefore, the number of Possible School Days for Student A is equal to the number of school days for the cohort between the date Student B started at the school and the end of the reference period.

Example 3: Student transfers to another school one week before the end of the reference period

Student C transfers to another school one week before the end of the reference period. Therefore, the Possible School Days for Student C is equal to the number of school days for the cohort between the start of the reference period up to, and including, the last day Student C was at the school.

Example 4: Student changes from full-time to part-time

Student D changes their enrolment status from full-time to part-time at the start of Term 2 (halfway through the Semester 1 reference period). Part-time students are not included in the STATS collection. However, you have to include Student D for the time in the reference period when Student D was a full-time student. Therefore, the number of Possible School Days for Student D is equal to the number of school days between the start of the Semester 1 reference period and the end of Term 1.

1.5Step 5: Calculate the number of attendance days for each student in the cohort at the campus for the reference period

An attendance day is a possible school day where the student attended school (i.e. the days or parts thereof that the student was at school).

The number of attendance days for each student can never exceed the number of Possible School Days for the student (calculated at Step 4), nor the number of school days for the cohort for the reference period (calculated at Step 3).

Count the number of days each student attended school after applying the following rules to their attendance record:

  1. If a student did not attend school on a particular day for the full day (i.e. they attended for part of the day), then this attendance should be included in the data as a fraction/proportions of a full day attendance. Part day attendances may be reported up to two decimal places – e.g. .5 for half a day; .25 for a quarter of a day, etc)
  2. If the school closes for part of a day due to an emergency or holiday during the day, then attendance for that day must be counted as a full day and those students who did not attend that day are counted as absent for the whole day.
  3. If a full time student moves schools during the reference period then their attendance must be reported on the days which they are enrolled at the school. (For example, a new student arrives at the school in week 3 of Term 3 and is in attendance for the remainder of term 3. This student’s attendance from week 3 of Term 3 to the end of Term 3 must be reported for STATS by the school).
  4. Where an informal arrangement exists between schools where a student attends multiple schools, but remains enrolled full time at one school, all absences and attendances must be attributed to the main school.
  5. Absences by the student must be treated as identified in Table 1below.

Table 1: Absences/incidents included as attended school days.

General description of incidents/absences / Treatment of absence
Absent/ Present / NA / Possible school days
Included /excluded
  1. Unexplained/unauthorised absences
Absences where the school does not receive any explanation, or where the reason for absence is considered unacceptable. Includes absences such as:
  • Truancy
  • Unexplained
  • Without parent/guardian approval
  • Unacceptable explanations as determined by the school
/ Absent / Included
  1. Religious/cultural absences
Approved/notified absences due to recognised religious or ceremonial activity / Absent / Included
  1. Parent-approved absences
Includes absences such as:
  • Family event
  • Extended holidays
/ Absent / Included
  1. Medical
Approved/notified absences due to medical reasons. Includes absences such as:
  • Illness
  • External medical appointment with health care professionals including counselling
/ Absent / Included
  1. Disciplinary (Out-of-school)
Disciplinary action that is not on school grounds.
Includes suspensions but excludes internal suspensions(see F). / Absent / Included
  1. Disciplinary (In-school)
Disciplinary action that is on school grounds. Includes internal suspensions / Present / Included
  1. Behavioural reasons
Behavioural absences, e.g. disengagement. Excludes disciplinary action (see E or F). / Absent / Included
  1. Bereavement
Approved/notified absences due to bereavement.
Includes absences such as:
  • Funeral
  • Personal Bereavement
/ Absence / Included
  1. School closed
School closed for religious, public or other holiday.
Includes absences such as:
  • Unexpected temporary school closure
  • Strike action/industrial action
  • School unavailable
  • School choice
  • Individual school calendars
  • All classes cancelled for the day
/ NA / Excluded
  1. Natural disaster/event
Natural disaster/event where students are unable to travel to school and school is closed. / NA / Excluded
  1. Approved educational absence
Attendance at an approved/sanctioned school event where the student is not required to attend school.
Includes absences such as:
  • Excursions
  • Flexible timetable
  • Attending another school
  • Vocational Education Training (VET) activities
/ Present / Included
  1. Work experience programs
Approved participation in/attendance at work experience related programs. School is responsible for students on these programs.
NSSC states that students’ time spent on work experience programs, as part of the school curriculum or program, should be treated as time in school. / Present / Included
  1. Employment
Short-term employment. School is not responsible for students during this period; however, student remains officially enrolled. / Absent / Included
  1. Explained other absence
Absences from school due to acceptable reasons, other than any of those listed in this table. / Absent / Included
  1. Exemptions
Approved exemptions such as certificate of exemptions, only for exceptional circumstances. Reasons for exemptions must not conflict with other descriptions in this table.
Includes approved short-term employment for NSW and SA such as employment in the entertainment industry where approval and exemption from class has been given by the appropriate school personnel.
Note: Due to the low number of absences in this category, some jurisdictions may choose to include these absences as possible school days. Although this is not recommended, this has minimal impact to the national and jurisdictional attendance rate. / NA / Excluded
P.1. Detention/Juvenile Justice/Suspension/Immigration Detention Centres – notified
School is notified that student is at the relevant centre. See P.2 for notified absences.
  • WA: Student is enrolled in main school but is part of Immigration Detention Centre.
/ NA / Excluded
P.2. Detention/Juvenile Justice/Suspension/Immigration Detention Centres – not notified
If school is not notified, then the student would be absent for ‘unexplained/unauthorised’ reasons. / Absent / Included
  1. Behaviour centre
Absences of students who are moved to a behaviour centre, but who nevertheless remain enrolled in their main school. All data are attributed back to main school / Absent / Included
  1. Tutorial Centres
Absences at the main school for students who are moved to a tutorial centre but who nevertheless remain enrolled in their main school / Present / Included
  1. Expelled
Student is no longer enrolled at the school / NA / Excluded

1.6Step 6: Calculate the attendance rate for each student in the cohort at the campus for the reference period

A student’s attendance rate is expressed as a percentage of the student’s actual days in attendance at school compared to that student’s Possible School Days (i.e. the answer at Step 5 when compared to Step 4 expressed as a percentage).

As a formula, calculating a student’s attendance rate looks like the following:

Attendance Rate (%) = 100 x Student’s actual days in attendance (the answer you got at Step 5)

Student’s Possible School Days (the answer you got to Step 4)

1.7Step 7: Calculate the total number of Possible School Days for the cohort at the campus for the reference period

To calculate the total number of Possible School Days for the cohort at the campus for the reference period, total the possible school days calculated at Step 4 for all students in the cohort.

[Note:

  1. If you are keying data directly into the STATS module in SSP, the answer to this step is the data to go into the field called Possible School Days.
  2. If you are keying data into a CSV file, the answer to this step is the data to go into the column called Possible School Days.]

1.8Step 8: Calculate the total number of attendance days for all students in the cohort at the campus for the reference period

To calculate the total number of attendance days for all students in the cohort for the reference period, total the attendance days calculated at Step 6 for all students in the cohort.

[Note:

  1. If you are keying data directly into the STATS module in SSP, the answer to this step is the data to go into the field called Attendance Days.
  2. If you are keying data into a CSV file, the answer to this step is the data to go into the column called Attendance Days.]

1.9Step 9: Calculate the total number of students in the cohort at the campus for the reference period with an attendance rate of equal to or greater than 90%

This step requires you to count how many students in the cohort at the campus for the reference period had an attendance rate of equal to or greater than 90% at Step 6.

[Note:

  1. If you are keying data directly into the STATS module in SSP, the answer to this step is the data to go into the field called Counts of students with attendance rates of <90%.
  2. If you are keying data into a CSV file, the answer to this step is the data to go into the column called Counts of students with attendance rates of <90%..]

1.10Step 10: Calculate the total number of students in the cohort at the campus for the reference period with an attendance rate of less than 90%

This step requires you to count how many students in the cohort at the campus for the reference period had an attendance rate of less than 90% at Step 6.

[Note:

  1. If you are keying data directly into the STATS module in SSP, the answer to this step is the data to go into the field called Counts of students with attendance rates of <90%.
  2. If you are keying data into a CSV file, the answer to this step is the data to go into the column called Counts of students with attendance rates of <90%..]

1.11Step 11: Calculate the total Possible School Days for the students in the cohort at the campus for the reference period with an attendance rate of equal to or greater than 90%

To calculate the total Possible School Days for students in the cohort at the campus for the reference period with an attendance rate of equal to or greater than 90%:

  1. Identify the students with an attendance rate of equal to or greater than 90% at Step 6.
  2. Total the Possible School Days for these students

Repeat Step 3 to Step 11 for each cohort at each school campus for the reference period.

Page 1 of 8