• Accurate daily attendance records must be kept for all students under section 28 of the School Education Act 1999 and section 3.4 of the Student Attendance in Public Schools procedures.
• Lesson attendance information is an official requirement of the Department of Education and can be produced as evidence in a Court of Law.
• It is necessary to make sure all information is entered correctly on SIS, using the correct codes, and is up to date on a daily basis.
• Attendance must be monitored, particularly for those children who have regular absences either explained or unexplained.
• Legally, we need to know where students are, and if absent, that the reasons are legitimate.
• Parents who wish to take students out of school for vacation during term time MUST seek permission from the Principal via letter or email.
• We are using Message You, Connect and a dedicated email address (PS.Absentee.Notes@education.wa.edu.au) to parents to advise the school of a student absence.  Please encourage your parents to use one of these methods.
• Relief teachers can obtain a copy of the class list from the Office to record attendances.
• The offsite centres are required to phone the office by 9.10am each morning to advise who is absent. PP and Kindergarten teachers must maintain their paper roll and ensure it reflects what is entered in SIS by checking when they are at the main site each Wednesday.

The process for recording and monitoring attendance is as follows:

 Recording attendance

• Log onto Lesson Attendance Module using the Registration Screen.
• It should default to your name, the day’s date and the Form.
• You will automatically be taken to the Day View Window.
• Input absence. Right click to input information supporting authorised absence types. Save.
• All inputs, once saved, become part of the audit log for lesson attendance.
• All teachers must register through the lesson attendance tab in SIS prior to 9.10am and record daily absences. If no one is absent you still have to register so that the Principal knows there is no one absent.
• Late Arrival:
• Students who arrive after 9.00am come through the office to be recorded as late.
• The reason and time for lateness will be entered on Integris by front Office staff
• Students hand the late slip to their teacher on arriving to class
• If students do not have the late slip, the teacher will direct them back to the front Office to collect a slip or record them as late.

Unexplained absences

• Where a student has been absent without explanation for longer than 3 days, classroom teachers should contact home to establish reason for absences.
• Class lists of unresolved absences and letters home will be generated from Integris each fortnight. As slips are returned with explanation for absence(s), teachers enter into Integris using correct code and providing reason. Teachers should also be alert to opportunities to determine reasons for absences when return slips are not forthcoming; this may include asking parents/guardians face-to-face at the start or close of the school day.
• Should families return the Unexplained Absence Letter to the front Office, staff will enter it accordingly.
• One week after class lists and letters have been generated, teachers return list of unresolved absences to the deputy with ticks against student names where absences have now been resolved and an indication that it has now been entered on Integris. This step minimises gaps in the recording process if contact needs to be made with parents.

Monitoring

• Attendance screening will be conducted by the deputy principal in weeks 5 and 9. The deputy will investigate attendance rates below 90% or any persistent late arrivals. Should you notice a pattern of absence or lateness, please advise the deputy principal.

Further information on attendance can be found in the school’s Attendance Guidelines.

Common Lesson Attendance Codes

Authorised Absence

• N – Notified as Sick

The student is absent due to illness.

• R – Reasonable Cause

The reason provided is acceptable, and not due to illness, suspension, cultural reasons or suspension.  A message stating the child will be away is NOT reasonable.  Ask a member of the Admin team if you are unsure.

• L – Late

The student is late to school but is not late enough to be recorded as a half day absence (at school for more than two hours and five minutes of continuous instruction, in reference to the half-day time). See guidelines below

• E – Educational Activity

To be used when the student is participating in an approved educational program such as an excursion, carnival or an off-site program (PEAC), or temporary attendance at another school through a Section 24 arrangement.  This code is not to be used for students on the Participation List.

• V – Vacation

The student is absent due to a vacation.  Parents should negotiate the absence in advance with principal. Principals decide that there are reasonable grounds to approve the absence.  Principals can request students complete a work package during this absence.  If the absence extends beyond the negotiated number of days, and no acceptable reason is provided, the additional absences should be recorded with a K.  Ask a member of the Admin team if you are unsure.

Unauthorised Absence

• U – Unexplained Absence – cause not yet established

Used when a student is absent and no explanation has yet been provided.  This is an unresolved code.  Further follow up is required to establish a reason for the absence, and once obtained, the code should be changed accordingly.  Parents stating that their child will be absent is unexplained.

• K – Unauthorised Vacation

Parents have taken their child/ren on an in-term holiday and the principal has not authorised it.

Determining when it is Late or half day absence

Situation	am	pm	Must attend for 2 hours of half-day instruction
Arrives before 9.30am	L	/	Will attend for 2 continuous hours Record reason in the right click box.
Arrives 9.30am onwards	Other code	/	Will NOT attend for 2 continuous hours of the morning half-day. Record reason in the right click box.
Present then leaves 10.50am onwards	/	Other code	Has attended for 2 continuous hours of the morning half-day Record reason in the right click box.
Leaves between 11.30am  -1.30pm	/	Other code	Will not attend for two continuous hours of the afternoon half-day. Record reason in the right click box.
Leaves after 1.30pm	/	/	Will have attended 2 continuous hours. Record reason in the right click box.