Under the NSW Education Act, schools are required to ensure that individual students meet certain attendance standards. This includes mandatory attendance for students under 17 years of age unless exemptions are applicable. More information on attendance requirements and exemptions, and the school principal's role in this, is provided below.
Background
In response to the national agenda and changes to the Education Act resulting from the Wood Royal Commission and the new School Leaving Age, there are significant changes required to school processes and practices around student attendance.
In January 2010 the NSW Government raised the mandatory school leaving age to 17 years. Refer to the page on School Leaving Age for more details (see Related Links on this page).
From January 2012, all NSW schools will be required to use the state attendance codes to record student attendance on the attendance register or roll. A copy of the Attendance Codes is under Related Documents on this page.
In introducing the attendance codes, the NSW Minister for Education has delegated the power to grant or cancel Exemption Certificates to non-government school principals within strict guidelines. This delegated authority ensures that independent school principals have the same level of authority as principals in government schools. It allows principals to provide an Exemption Certificate for students to be exempt from attending school for up to 50 days in a year or an exemption to leave school following the completion of Year 10 to undertake an apprenticeship or traineeship.
Advice for schools
Principals need to strictly adhere to the processes and conditions outlined in the Exemption Guidelines (see Related Documents on this page) in order to legally apply the exemption.
The process for considering an application for exemption is:
- Put the parental application on letterhead and give to the parent complete
- Review the parent's application against the criteria in the DET guidelines
- Put the certificate of exemption on school letterhead and complete for the parent (if the application is supported)
- Give the original certificate to the parent
- Keep a copy of the application, certificate and Minister's delegation on the student's file.
Processes are currently being developed to enable all schools in NSW to access legal recourse where all attempts at resolving poor student attendance have failed. In determining a course of action under this legislation, principals should also refer to the requirements under the Keep Them Safe legislation (see Related Links on this page).
In line with recent changes to the Education Act, independent schools will be able to access legal recourse to resolve poor school attendance. Information will soon be available to advise schools on access to Director General’s Conference with parents and Compulsory Schooling Orders through either the Local Court or the Children’s Court.
Independent schools seeking advice or assistance in relation to the attendance codes, use of the Ministerial delegation to grant an exemption or poor school attendance should contact Robyn Yates, Director: Government Education Policy on (02) 9299 2845.