attendance
At Emmaus, we remain committed to creating an environment where children can flourish and experience a deep sense of connection and belonging. Regular attendance at school is an essential part of this commitment, as it allows children to build strong friendships, engage fully in their learning, and feel a consistent sense of stability and routine. When children are present each day, they are best able to grow academically, socially, and emotionally, and to experience the fullness of school life. The purpose of this communication is to share some important elements with regard to attendance here at Emmaus.
We remain committed to contacting families when absences are unexplained or irregular and will work in partnership to support each child in improving their attendance and, where needed, to develop return-to-school plans.
Attendance data is reviewed regularly by the Wellbeing Team here at Emmaus and monitored to identify students at-risk of non-attendance. The team then works together to develop a plan to support increased attendance. Every member of the school staffing community is committed to and responsible for strengthening student attendance and engagement.
At Emmaus, alongside other primary schools in the DOBCEL system, the roll is marked twice a day by classroom teachers. The roll is marked in the morning at 9am and then again in the afternoon at 1:40pm. Dependent on arrival and departure times will depend on an individual student’s attendance percentage. If the total minutes of attendance in one day is 85% or more, it will be classed as one full day. Less than 85% and higher than 50% is classed as half a day and less than 50% is classed as a non attendance day, even if a child has been present for a short period of time.
For any child not present upon the morning roll marking, and where parent notified absence has not been uploaded to PAM, a text message is sent to families, seeking clarification and to confirm a child’s absence. This is a critical part of our protocols to ensure child safety. It is requested that all absences be communicated via the Parent Access Module.
It is important to note that we appreciate absenteeism can occur for a multitude of reasons. Please continue reaching out to your child’s teacher, when collaboration is required to support attendance, particularly when there may be social and or emotional barriers.
While there isn’t a single point at which absence becomes a concern, the Department of Education provides the following categories to help us notice any patterns that may emerge.
Tier 1 (Universal): Regular attendance
Regular attendance is said to occur when a student attends school for 95% or more of the time, missing less than 10 days a year (Absent 5% or less).
Goal: At least 80% or more of students at school are within this category.
Tier 2 (Targeted): At risk for Chronic Absenteeism
Attending less than 95% but greater than 90% of the time, missing between 10 and 19
days a year (Absent greater than 5% but less than 10%)
Goal: No more than 15% of students at school
Tier 3 (Intensive): Chronic Absenteeism
Attending 90% or less, missing 20+ days a year, averaging 1 day per fortnight, (Absent 10%
or more)
Goal: No more than 5% of students at school
Please feel assured that at Emmaus there are strategies in place for those students at risk of chronic absenteeism. We endeavour to support each child in this situation, alongside their trusted adults, to feel connected to the school community and to increase attendance and genuine engagement. As parents within our community, you have access to School TV which provides an abundance of supportive resources. You can view some of these resources via School TV here and here.
At Emmaus Catholic Primary School, our deepest hope is that every child experiences success, supported by regular attendance and enriched through joyful, healthy engagement in every aspect of school life.
