The importance of attending school

School attendance matters, and as we return to face-to-face learning, it is one of the key focus areas for us at Lakes Grammar. Attendance at school is arguably one of the most important indicators of academic success and building strong relationships. These strong relationships are key to students feeling happy, connected, and being able to flourish in their learning and their lives.

Research has shown that poor attendance is associated with:

• Lower academic achievement including literacy and numeracy
• Increased rates of leaving school before completing Year 10 and Year 12
• Leaving school with fewer qualifications
• Reduced opportunities for students to learn and access educational resources
• Further absenteeism in higher year levels
• Increased alcohol, tobacco, and substance use in adolescents.

Other research shows that absenteeism can lead to a lack of engagement with peers and the school community, leading to emotional and behavioural issues (Carroll, 2013). Hancock et al (2013) noted that “Every day counts and there is no ‘safe’ threshold for absences”. That is, each and every day matters for our students.

There are a number of factors that can predict a student’s non-attendance (Balkis, Arslan, & Duru, 2016) and these include:

• Academic self-concept and self-esteem
• Experience with poor behaviours from others at school
• Mental health concerns
• Lack of ‘belonging’
• Lack of motivation and goals

While we know that teacher quality is the single most important in-school factor influencing student achievement (Hattie, 2009) this is mediated by the above factors, and the amount of time students actually spend in the classroom. While Australia’s school attendance rate is comparable to similar countries, there are some (Australia wide) areas of concern:

1. 25% of students attend less than 90% of school days. That is approximately 20 days absent per year.
2. Attendance rates tend to decline from Year 8 onwards (AITSL, 2018)

Lakes Grammar is committed to doing our absolute best to deliver outstanding teaching and learning experiences every day. If your child is absent due to illness, please let the school know first thing in the morning. If you have a planned absence, please apply for an exemption using the form available on the intranet. Good habits start early, and the effects of non-attendance are cumulative if they begin in the early years of schooling. Continued absences can lead to a cycle of absenteeism and disengagement which can be difficult to overcome. The Review to Achieve Educational Excellence in Australian Schools (Gonski, Arcus, & K, 2018) suggested that the Australian educational system needed to move to a more holistic and individualised approach to maximise the learning for each and every child.  While this does not mean that each child in every classroom received individual teaching from our staff, it does mean that we take a personal and targeted approach to our classroom learning to engage and challenge our students. 

Your child and their learning is important to us. Your child is a learner, a unique individual who is cared for and known by the Lakes community and staff. Your child is on a journey with us (some for 13 years!) and we aim to ‘Build Better Futures’ in a joint venture with our families and caregivers. I look forward to being on this journey with you all.

Finally – our best wishes and prayers have been with our Year 12 this week as they finally began their HSC examinations. Our Year 12 students have certainly been on the most unique journey, and we wish them well.

AITSL. (2018). Spotlight - attendance matters. SYDNEY: AITSL.

Balkis, M., Arslan, G., & Duru, E. (2016). the school absenteeism among high school students: Contributing factors. Educaitonal Sciences: Theory and Practice, 1819-1831.

Carroll, H. (2013). The social, emotional and behavioural difficulties of primary school children with poor attendance records. Educational Studies, 223-234.

Gonski, D., Arcus, T., & K, B. (2018). Through growth to achievement: the report of the review to acheive educational excellence in Australian Schools. Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia.

Hancock, K. (2013). Student attendance and educational outcomes - Every Day counts. Canberra: Department of Education.

Hancock, K. (2018). Does the Reason Matter. British Educational research Journal, 141-174.

Hattie, J. (2009). Visible Learning, a synthesis of 800+ meta-analyses on achievement. London: Routledge.

Mrs Clancy

Principal