Everyone has a role
Everyone has a role in encouraging school attendance.
Need to know
- Parents, carers, teachers, school communities and children and young people all have a role to play in improving school attendance.
- Every school day matters.
Everyone has a role in encouraging school attendance
It isn’t just the adults who are responsible for encouraging school attendance. Students play an important role encouraging your friends to turn up every day. A welcoming face can make a big difference for so many children and young people.
Parents, carers and the school community can help support positive school attendance in the following areas:
- Environment
- Feedback
- Approachability
- Empathy
- Encouragement
- Academic and wellbeing supports
- Flexibility
- Boundaries
We expand on these areas below.
Environment
Create a welcoming and engaging environment. This can help children and young people feel connected to their school community. This could be as simple as school staff saying “hello” to each student by name when they arrive at school.
Feedback
Giving students positive feedback when they are improving their school attendance. This feedback needs to come from the school community and family members.
Approachability
The school community and family members need to remain approachable to children and young people. This means listening, not judging and taking a general interest in their lives.
Empathy
Listen with kindness. Let students share what is worrying them or challenging them at school. Building positive relationships with families and teachers helps strengthen students’ wellbeing and resilience.
Encouragement
Schools can encourage the use of safe places where students can go when feeling stressed or overwhelmed at school.
Academic and wellbeing supports
Schools and families can work together to provide academic and wellbeing supports for students having difficulty attending school and requiring adjustments with schoolwork.
Flexibility
Be flexible with expectations of students who are experiencing difficulties.
For school staff, this may include:
- giving an extension for homework
- allowing them to work in a quiet space rather than the classroom, or
- providing alternative tasks.
For families, this may include:
- providing a quiet study space
- creating a flexible study schedule
- encouraging regular breaks
- using positive reinforcement
- maintaining open communication
- regularly checking in with students about what they need, and
- encouraging getting outside and playing and having fun to ensure balance.
Boundaries
Define the boundaries around your role as a teacher, professional support staff, parent or carer. Be aware of what you can do yourself and when you might need to seek or suggest other supports.
