Attendance and Absences

To maximise learning opportunities, students must attend School regularly and be punctual for all lessons. Students are required to be at School at least 5 minutes before the start of classes and will not be allowed to leave School before the formal close of lessons unless consent is given by parents/caregivers. 

To support parents/caregivers and fulfil our duty of care to students, the School will contact families when concerns about unexplained attendance arise, e.g. after an extended unexplained absence or frequent late arrivals. Parents/caregivers may be asked to attend a meeting to discuss ways to ensure consistent attendance. 

Requests for extended absences of 10 school days or more or early term departure must be addressed in writing to the Principal. To reduce the number of interruptions to the programme, parents/caregivers are encouraged to arrange medical appointments and other student engagements outside of school hours wherever possible. 

Lack of engagement with school or anxiety about attending school can be a complicated issue to address. The School would like to support families to ensure that students establish and maintain good attendance and are happy and settled. Early communication about anxiety or non-engagement is vital to maximising student learning and well-being. Extended unexplained absences will be followed up by classroom teachers, Year Patrons and Heads of Wellbeing, who may also involve the local Police Liaison Officer.

Absence

By NSW State law, absence from school for any period during the day requires a letter of explanation from a parent or guardian.

Absence for an entire day/s:

Parents/caregivers are requested to notify the school via the "Report an Absence" link on the home screen of the Engage Parent Portal (either on the desktop or phone App). Clicking on the "Report an Absence” icon will take you to a Student Absence Notification Form. You can also email a student absence to absence@scas.nsw.edu.au by 9:00am if your child will not be attending that day and prior notification has not been given. If the school has not been notified of the absence, an SMS message will be sent to parents/caregivers that day advising them that their child is not at school, and asking them to advise the school of their child’s absence.

Extended Leave

Requests for extended leave from school must be addressed in writing to the Principal. An Application for Extended Leave form is to be completed. Printed copies of these forms are available from the School Front Reception. 

Requests for Substitute Work

Substitute work can be arranged ahead of time if a student is going to be absent for a week or longer. Please note that teachers require one week's notice for this to be organised.

It is students' responsibility to ensure they adequately catch up on all missed work as soon as possible following their return to school.

For information regarding late arrival and early departure procedures, click here.