Cammeraygal HS Attendance Policy & Procedures

School starts with Roll Call at 8:50am every day except Wednesday, which starts at 8:40am to accommodate afternoon sport. A warning bell is rung 5 minutes prior to the start of the day.

The Education Act (1990) requires parents to ensure that children of compulsory school age attend school on each day that the school is open for instruction. If children are absent from school parents are required to provide the school with an acceptable explanation within seven days.

Punctuality and regular attendance are important habits that students need to develop in preparation for work and life in general and there is ample evidence that students who attend regularly and are punctual to all lessons are more likely to achieve their personal best in study. Latecomers, and those with irregular attendance, negatively affect the continuity of their learning. Latecomers also disrupt the lessons of their peers.

Did you know ... if a student misses as little as 8 days in a school term,
by the end of high school, they will have missed OVER A YEAR of schooling?

Late Arrivals & Absences

• To be marked 'present' students must be sighted by the Roll Call teacher. If a student arrives late to Roll Call they need to follow the procedure for late arrival as stated below.
• Students who arrive late must report to Rm B.3.05 for Roll Call or sign in at the Public Reception desk at the Front Office if Roll Call has finished.
• If a student arrives late without a note an SMS will be sent to parents at approx. 10am requesting an explanation by reply text.
• If a student is unable to attend school parents are asked to notify the school via email or may reply to an SMS that will be sent at approx. 11:30am.
• If absence is 3 or more days a Medical Certificate is required. These should be handed to the student's roll call teacher on return to school.
• Parents will be notified of whole day unexplained absences via SMS on the day and student absences can also be viewed on the Parent Portal.
• Parents are legally required to provide an explanation of the absence. Absences not explained after seven days are recorded as unexplained. Explanations that have been accepted by the Principal which are provided after the 7 day period will be retained however the student's attendance record cannot be adjusted.
• Every effort should be made by students to secure medical and dental appointments out of school hours.
• Students who are persistently late and / or with high levels of absences jeopardise their eligibility for the RoSA, Preliminary Higher School Certificate and Higher School Certificate.
• The school should be advised in advance of anticipated absences longer than 5 days. The necessary paperwork can be collected from the Front Office (see Extended Leave).

Early Leavers

• Students requiring to leave school early should bring a signed permission note from their parent stating date, student's name, Roll Call class, time of departure and reason. The note should be presented to the Deputy Principal prior to the start of day for approval and shown to the relevant class teacher when leaving.
• Before leaving the school grounds students must hand in the note and sign out at the Front Office. Students will be issued with and will retain a Leave Pass. These passes are valid on the day and time of issue only.
• If a student will be returning to school after an appointment, they are required to sign back in at the Front Office.
• If children are not feeling well while at school they are to report to the Front Office who will assess the situation and contact parents accordingly.

Extended Leave

If a student is going to be absent from school for more than 5 school days parents need to complete an Application for Exemption from Attendance form which can be obtained from the Front Office. This form is required to be completed in advance and addressed to the Principal for consideration.

Reason for exemption fall under the following headings:

• exceptional circumstances;
• employment in the entertainment industry; and
• participation in elite arts or elite sports events

If the leave is approved you will be issued with a Letter of Exemption signed by the Principal.

Please note that under D of E guidelines students will no longer be issued with an exemption for family holidays or travel during school term and approval is at the Principal's discretion. Such leave, if approved, will be entered as Explained Leave and student attendance data will be reduced as a result. Parents are strongly advised to avoid using non vacation time for family travel.