Karabar High School

Telephone02 6298 4333

Emailkarabar-h.school@det.nsw.edu.au

Attendance

Under the Education ACT (1990) all students between the ages of 6 and 17 must attend school every day unless there is a justified reason (which must be given to the school within seven days).

At Karabar High School the school day begins at 9am and ends at 3pm. It is essential that students arrive at school on time so their attendance is registered and they do not miss any important learning time.

Parents are required to explain absences within a SEVEN day period. This can be done via Compass or a note or phone call to the front office 02 6298 4333. The NSW Education Act requires all absences that have not been explained within SEVEN calendar days to be permanently recorded as 'unjustified'.

There are a limited number of reasons which justify an absence from school. In some circumstances, even though a reason has been provided, the absence will still be recorded as 'unjustified' because the reason does not count as a valid reason as per Department of Education policy.

The two most common reasons for student absence are 'sick' and 'leave'.

Sick: The student's absence is due to sickness or as the result of a medical appointment. Principals may request a medical certificate in addition to explanations if the explanation is doubted, or the student has a history of unsatisfactory attendance

Leave: The student's absence is due to an incident such as a serious illness of an immediate family member or attendance at a funeral and the explanation provided has been accepted by the principal.

Families are encouraged to travel during the NSW school holidays. If travel outside of NSW school holiday periods is necessary, the family must apply to the principal for approval beforehand. If the family does not apply for leave, or it is not approved, the absences from school will be unjustified.

Application for extended leave (travel) form

Students are expected to be at school by 9:00am each morning in time for Period 1. If a student is late to school they need to sign in at the front office to receive a late note. Parents are expected to provide a reason for their child's lateness. If a valid reason is not provided, the absence will be recorded as 'unjustified'.

If a student needs to leave early (eg, for a doctor's appointment), they need to bring a note from home and take it to class with them to show their teacher when it is time for them to leave. They then need to go to the front office where they will be provided with a printout and signed out of school. Students who do not sign out properly will have their leave recorded as 'unjustified'.

If a student is feeling sick they should talk to their classroom teacher first who will send the student to sick bay if necessary. If office staff feel it is in your child's best interest to go home they will contact you. Students are not to use their mobile phones to organise being picked up during school hours.