Reviewed August 2012
RATIONALE
Regular attendance at school is crucial if students are to develop their talents. Salamah College, in partnership with parents, is in charge of maintaining the regular attendance of students. While parents are legally responsible for the regular attendance of their children, school staff as part of their duty of care, share that responsibility in monitoring and responding to part or whole day absences.
AIM
The school aims to encourage a positive and supportive learning environment for all the students by following the attendance policy which students along with parents and school staff work together to make sure that all enrolled students attend their classes and other scheduled educational activities.
Maze Software
The MAZE software, which gets backed up twice daily as a normal procedure at the School, is the method used by Salamah College to keep records. A copy of the backup is kept in the School’s safe and another is kept with the Principal. Maze retains the register of enrolments indefinitely thus meeting its legal obligation of retaining the register for a minimum of five (5) years before archiving. It also retains the register of daily attendance indefinitely thus again meeting its legal obligation of retaining the register of daily attendance for a minimum of seven (7) years after the last entry was made. MAZE maintains a register of enrolments and a register of attendance including the following information for each student:
Name, age and address
The name and contact telephone number of parent(s)/guardian(s)
Date of enrolment and, where appropriate, the date of leaving the school and the student’s destination
For students older than six (6) years, previous school or pre-enrolment situation
Where the destination of a student below seventeen (17) years of age is unknown, the School will notify a Department of Education and Communities officer with home school liaison responsibilities of the student’s full name, date of birth, last known address, last date of attendance, parents’ names and contact details, an indication of possible destination, other information that may assist officers to locate the student, and any known occupational health and safety risks associated with contacting the parents or student
BEST PRACTICE GUIDELINES
General
The school uses the “MAZE Software” for all record keeping in relation to students’ attendance and absence.
Parents are requested to contact the school either by phone or by note whenever a child is absent or late.
The parent of any child without explanation will be contacted by letter or phone requesting an explanation for any absence on the second day of absence, this is to ensure that students are not absent without their parents knowledge or consent.
No student is allowed to leave the school grounds during school hours without a note. All students’ parents must also sign the Register when leaving early. Parents who are collecting students should do so directly from the office.
Students who arrive at school after 8:45am must report to the office to collect a late slip, and then go to their classroom. When students receive a late slip they will be marked on the roll as present but late, and the late arrival will be recorded in the “Late Arrival Register” followed by an entry on MAZE
No student should arrive at school before 8:10 am.
Class teachers are directly responsible for monitoring daily attendance.
All absences are carefully monitored and followed up by referring to appropriate personnel as required.
Sickness
Parents are requested to phone the office before 8:45am or send a note with another member of the family if a child is to be absent from school. Any unexplained absences will be investigated after this time.
Parents are required to inform the class teacher in writing of reasons for their child’s absence the first day the child returns to school.
Parents are requested to notify the school immediately if it is known that a child’s absence is likely to exceed one week.
Unexplained Absence
The parents are contacted on the third day of absence for a verbal explanation. If the school is unsuccessful in contacting the parents a note is left on the MAZE stating (unable to contact parents).
If the child is still absent the following day another attempt is made to contact the parents, and a note is left on the MAZE if we are still unsuccessful.
The school will try all emergency numbers on file in an attempt to have direct contact with the parents.
After the child has been absent from school for a week (5 consecutive days) a letter is sent home asking parents to contact the school immediately to provide an explanation. (A copy of the letter is kept in the student’s file) and a request for a visit by a school representative to the student’s family home is suggested to check on the child without causing any discomfort to family or child
If there has been no response from the parents a second letter is sent via registered mail informing them that the matter will be forwarded to the Department of Education and Communities officer with home school liaison responsibilities
The school will contact Department of Education and Communities officer with home school liaison responsibilities informing them of the situation and the concerns the school may have.
Every time an attempt is made to contact the parents a note of the date and the time the attempt was made is kept.
Roll Marking
The School uses “Maze software” to record student attendances/absences. Teachers are to complete the “Roll group with Attendance Grid form” each morning and after lunch. These forms are to be sent to the office to be recorded by office staff on “Maze”.
ROLL MARKING NOTATION
The “Exception Method” (marking absences only) must be followed when marking the roll/attendance grid form. The only symbols to be used in the roll are:
[A to denote student was absent on that day
[Z] to denote Suspension
[W] to denote withdrawn from class
[U] to denote unexplained or unsatisfactory attendance
[S] to denote sick notification received
[P] to denote early leave
[O] to denote leave approved by Principal
[L] to denote student was late