Attendance Programs

In NSW, students must attend school regularly. Students of compulsory school age (6 -15) are required to attend school every day unless they are sick or have another good reason for being absent. Older students are required to attend school regularly to meet course requirements.

Parents are required to explain their children's absences within seven days of the occurrence of an absence. Failure to explain an absence within this time will be recorded as an unjustified absence on a student's record. Reasons such as birthdays, helping with shopping or minding younger brothers or sisters are generally regarded as unsatisfactory reasons for an absence.

Schools will inform parents if a student is absent from school without explanation. Parents who have difficulty in ensuring the regular attendance of their children at school should contact the principal.

The Department of Education and Training has implemented a number of initiatives to support parents in ensuring their children attend school regularly.

Home school liaison officers (HSLOs) are specially trained teachers who support schools by working with students and their families when regular attendance is an issue. Aboriginal student liaison officers (ASLOs) work specifically with Aboriginal students and their communities to improve attendance. To contact HSLOs, call your local area office and ask for the student welfare consultant.

Operation Roll Call involves uniformed police, in the course of their general duties, approaching students who are of school age and who are out of school. Police may ask the student for their leave pass.

Tamper proof, common leave passes have been issued to all government high schools for this purpose. If a student does not have a leave pass, they are directed to return to school and their name and school is recorded by an officer and passed on to the school for follow-up disciplinary action.

Street Sweeps involve HSLOs, ASLOs and uniformed police targeting areas where they believe that truancy may be a problem such as shopping malls, internet cafes and railway stations. During these operations they approach any child who is of compulsory school age and enquire about why they are not at school. Students can be directed to return to school and again their details are provided to the school for follow-up disciplinary action.

On 23 January 2004, the Government announced the implementation of a common leave pass system which has been implemented across the State during Term 1, 2004. All secondary students who wish to leave school during normal school hours must carry a special leave pass issued by the school. This initiative has enhanced the effectiveness of anti-truancy operations as it is now easier for Police or home school liaison personnel to detect students who are absent from school without good reason.

Where possible, family holidays should be taken during school vacations. If this is not possible, speak to the school principal when planning the holiday. Principals may grant a total of up to 12 days leave each year for such purpose. The school may be able to provide work for students to complete while on holiday.

If this leave is insufficient, parents will need to apply for an extension.