K-12 School Attendance Reminders
Attendance at school is a legal requirement for every student under the age of 17 unless:
- leave has been granted by the Head of School in advance
- an emergency or unforeseen situation arises
- they are sick or have a medical/dental appointment.
The cumulative effects of student absence from school can be quite significant. For example, a student who is absent for more than 7 days every semester will miss more than a full school year over their 13 years of school if the pattern continues.
Regular attendance at school is essential for your daughter to achieve her best academically. When your daughter attends school every day, learning becomes easier as does building and maintaining friendships. Parents should be aware of the importance of school attendance except in the most extreme circumstances.
If your daughter is absent due to sudden illness or an unforeseen event
Parents should notify the School before 9.30am if their daughter is absent from school. It is important that this communication includes the reason for the student’s absence.
These notifications may now be made by submitting the online form through the SCEGGS Mobile App. Please note that you must be logged into the App to be able to access this feature which is prefilled with your daughter’s personal information. Parents/carers may also call the School on 9332 1133 to notify the school of an unexpected absence with a followup either through the SCEGGS Mobile App or Absences email (absences@sceggs.nsw.edu.au).
Requesting Permission for Any Other Leave
Any absence for reasons other than sudden illness or an unexpected family situation should be requested in advance. These requests should be made directly to the Head of School.
To request leave in advance, parents should email Jenny Allum directly, giving the reasons for the leave sought and the dates of the intended absence. Such requests should be submitted well in advance. In considering these requests and assessing whether to approve or decline the request, the Head of School will consider the student’s prior record of attendance, the reason for the planned leave and the best interests of the student and her ongoing education. Please note: Families are encouraged to travel during school holidays.
Students involved in elite sporting programs who have training schedules that may impact on their arrival at school on specific mornings for a short period of time should also apply directly to the Head of School for permission.
On very rare occasions, parents may also apply for Exemption from Attendance at School for their daughter. In this situation it must be “clearly demonstrated by the applicant that an exemption is in the student’s best interests in the short and long term and that alternatives to exemption have been considered”. For example, employment in the entertainment industry for a short period of time may be one such situation.
Absences notes/emails must be provided within 7 days
- Parents must provide a written explanation for any full day or partial absence (arriving late or leaving early). The explanation must include the reason for their daughter’s absence from school.
- Parents can provide written explanations in one of THREE ways:
- by completing the online absence form within the SCEGGS Mobile App
- by providing an email to Absences from a registered parental contact email address
- by providing a handwritten absence note and signing it
- Parents MUST provide this written explanation within 7 calendar days of their daughter’s absence, or the absence will be recorded in a category labelled “unexplained or unjustified absence”. After 7 days, a written explanation must still be provided, but for our official records, for school reports and for records provided to Government agencies such as the Department of Education and the Department of Human Services, the absence must remain categorised as unexplained/unjustified.
We thank parents and carers in advance for their support and adherence to these important attendances procedures throughout the semester ahead.
Holly Gyton
Deputy Head of School
