Resources
To help schools improve attendance
Policy template, information and strategies for improving attendance
- School Attendance Policy (staff login required)
- Schools’ guide to attendance
- Checklist for schools for unexplained student absences
- Unexplained student absences – template excerpts for schools newsletters and social media
- Fact sheet – Information sheet for schools on same-day notification of unexplained absence
Resources to help with the implementation of the schools’ guide to attendance
- Documented roles and responsibilities table
- Map of key mental health and wellbeing support
- Supporting attendance for at risk students (staff login required)
Examples of how to incorporate attendance as a goal in your school’s Annual Implementation Plan (AIP):
- AIP attendance worked example for element 1 (staff login required)
- AIP attendance worked example for element 3 (staff login required)
- AIP attendance worked example for element 4 (staff login required)
Case studies on improving attendance
- Every Day Counts Case Study – Carlton Gardens Primary School (staff login required)
- Every Day Counts Case Study – Guthrie Street Primary School, (staff login required)
- Every Day Counts Case Study – Carisbrook Primary School (staff login required)
Attendance information for parents
Resources to support communication with parents about the importance of school attendance and managing absences
- Unexplained student absences – fact sheet for schools to give to parents absences
- School attendance (Easy English)
- The importance of attendance at primary (staff login required)
- The importance of attendance at secondary (staff login required)
- Recommended approaches to school (staff login required)
- Managing anxiety about going to (staff login required)
- Getting children or teenagers to go to (staff login required)
- Victorian attendance legislation fact (staff login required)
- Student Attendance and Educational Outcomes: Every Day
Attendance information for students
Resources to help students to understand the importance of attendance and where they can get help if they are struggling with attendance.
- School is better when you’re here – primary students (staff login required)
- School is better when you’re here – secondary students (staff login required)
Resources for recording and monitoring attendance
Resources to support the accurate recoding of attendance data CASES21 and third party software:
- Fact sheet: attendance data matters (staff login required)
- Attendance and absence recording guide (staff login required)
- CASES21 administration user guide – attendance (staff login required)
- Attendance software functionality matrix
For more information on using CASES21, refer to: CASES21 (staff login required)
Resources for managing student absences
Resources for following up absences
- Common reasons for absence and general advice for (staff login required)
- Template letter for principals to notify parent that absence (staff login required)
- Template letter for principals to notify parent that absence not (staff login required)
- Template letter for principals to raise concerns about repeated and/or unexplained (staff login required)
Resources to support implementing attendance improvement strategies
Resources to support the use of attendance improvement strategies and support students in returning to school
Templates
- Implementing a staged response to non-attendance – template (staff login required)
- Communication to support a staged response to non-attendance – (staff login required)
- Attendance improvement plan (primary school) – (staff login required)
- Attendance improvement plan (secondary school) – (staff login required)
- Return to school plan (primary and secondary school) – (staff login required)
- Return to school plan for a school refuser – (staff login required)
- Student absence learning plan – template
Information
- Attendance support group (staff login required)
- School based apprenticeships and traineeships
- International Student Program: Supporting students – Learning and engagement
Support from regional offices
Health and wellbeing officers in regional office are able to support schools in following up on student absence and attendance issues. They can also provide advice on the appropriateness of making a referral to a school attendance officer.
Regional contact details
For advice and support in managing issues relating to attendance, contact your regional .
Referring to a school attendance officer
- Things to consider prior to making a referral to a school attendance officer (staff login required)
- Attendance referrals for students in out-of-home care (staff login required)
- Referral form: Principal to school attendance officer – whereabouts of student (staff login required)
- Referral form: Principal to school attendance officer – 5 days unexplained (staff login required)
Reporting concerns for student wellbeing
Where a student and their family may need the assistance of family services, consider making a referral to Child FIRST, refer to: Making a referral to Child
Where there may be a serious impact on the student’s immediate safety, stability or development, or a student has suffered or is at risk of immediate harm, consider making a report to Child Protection, refer to: Making a report to child .
Reviewed 21 February 2024