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

It is understood that no family intends to cause disruption to their child’s learning or school life when extra holidays are planned. Here is some information for families when planning for holidays so the school’s position can be considered. It is important to note that the submission of a student's Application for Extended Leave does not mean the leave will be approved, with any decision being at the discretion of the School Principal. Parents need to be aware of the “Attendance” requirements of the School Education Act 1999, particularly Section 23.

It is important that families consider the following issues when arranging holidays outside of school holiday times.

• Students may miss out on important learning programs that may affect future education. The school cannot accept responsibility for learning that is missed during extended leave taken.

• Teachers are not to be asked to set work while extended leave is taken for holiday purposes.

• If important assessments are missed, some areas of your child’s report may be incomplete.

• Extended absences cause extra organisational concerns for in-class and co-curricular activities, including sports days, assemblies, camps etc. Your child’s involvement in these activities cannot be guaranteed if essential preparation has not been undertaken or they are absent when activities are planned.

• Although every effort is made to set a school calendar of events in advance, due to exceptional circumstances, these dates may need to be changed during a school year.

• Depending on when extended leave is taken, students may find it difficult to learn school routines and develop social groups.

 If you would like to submit an application for extended leave, please complete the Application for Extended Leave of a Student. You can email the form to info@scas.nsw.edu.au, or you can print it and drop it off at the Front Office 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 due to illness or other unplanned absence. Please note that teachers may 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.