Student Attendance in Public Schools procedures to be updated 8 September 2026

Guidance

• The Department encourages school leaders and staff to build and maintain mutually respectful relationships with parents and the local community and to engage authentically.  In collaboration with local Aboriginal community members, school leaders and staff are expected to develop strong, sustainable education partnerships that reflect the expectations and aspirations of Aboriginal students.
• All teaching and other relevant staff play an important role in developing shared understandings and expectations regarding school attendance.
• In interpreting these policy documents, refer to the definition of Parent which has been framed to include other responsible adults operating in a guardian/carer role.
• Note also that ‘child’ in these documents refers to children and young people.
• Resources to support this process are available in the Student Attendance Toolkit (staff only).
• The Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework (staff only) and the Engaging and Working with your Community Framework (staff only) should be used to inform and guide this work.
• Through the Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework (staff only), schools are supported to use place-based approaches that are developed in consultation with their local Aboriginal communities, to strengthen the participation and engagement of Aboriginal students.
• Refer to Every day matters: 10-point plan to improve attendance for further information about promoting student attendance.

Guidance

• The School Education Act 1999 requires that an explanation of a student’s absence is provided within three school days from the start of the absence.
• Principals should request a medical certificate for prolonged absences that are due to sickness or injury.
• 18 year olds enrolled in school are subject to the same attendance requirements as other students.
• Badged Attendance Officers assist in the management of addressing student absence.  For information about the authorisation and designation of Badged Attendance Officers refer to Badged Attendance Officers (staff only).
• A student can be regarded as ‘missing’ when, within 15 days of the start of an absence, they cannot be located, their parent/s cannot be contacted, and the school has not received advice that the student is being educated elsewhere.
• The school may refer to the education regional office for support and assistance in their attempts to locate a student.
• The Student Tracking Coordinator processes the request and informs the school by email within 15 school days of receiving the request.
• For further information refer to the Students whose Whereabouts are Unknown Guidelines.
• The Students whose Whereabouts are Unknown Flowchart describes steps in this process.

Guidance

• A full description of the School Information System (SIS) Lesson Attendance codes used to record student attendance is provided online (staff only).
• Additional information on the correct use of these codes is provided in the Student Attendance Toolkit (staff only).
• For information about the use of leave passes refer to Standardised Leave Passes (staff only).

Guidance

Education regional offices support schools to monitor attendance rates and as required, assist them to implement place-based responses, including working in coordination with other government agencies to improve student attendance.

• To support this process, an Increasing Unauthorised Absences Report is accessible through an icon on the school’s Student Attendance Reporting (staff only) application.  This report will identify students whose unauthorised absences have increased within the reporting period.
• Strategies and advice on appropriate interventions are available in the Student Attendance Toolkit (staff only).
• The Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework (staff only) should guide what approaches are used to restore the attendance of Aboriginal students and how they are implemented.
• Culturally responsive approaches and practices respond to and address the needs of individual students and take into account the social, cultural and historical contexts that impact them.
• Knowledge of the student’s cultural and linguistic background, and family and community connections is key information that informs decision making and intervention.
• The presence of multiple risk factors should be considered when determining if and when intervention is required and/or when it should be prioritised.  For example, those students who:
  • have experienced cumulative harm resulting from trauma/child maltreatment;
  • have been suspended from school on two or more occasions; and/or
  • are at risk of being excluded.
• Persistent or sudden absence from school may be an indicator of concern for a student being at risk of suicidal behaviour or non-suicidal self-injury. Refer to School Response and Planning Guidelines for Students with Suicidal Behaviour and Non-Suicidal Self-Injury for further information.

Guidance

• It is the principal’s responsibility to determine when persistent absence has reached the point that a documented plan is required for an individual student or group of students (generally where a student’s attendance is below 90% or identified as a problem).  Refer to Support education planning for students (staff only) for further information.
• The principal should consider whether the persistent absence places the child or young person at suspected risk of harm and/or what other elements of risk to the student’s wellbeing may be indicated by persistent absence from school.
• The Aboriginal Cultural Standards Framework (staff only) should guide what approaches are included in a documented plan for an Aboriginal student and how they are implemented.
• In the consultation process, the principal should offer the parent the opportunity to enter into a Responsible Parenting Agreement in circumstances where this may be appropriate.  Refer to Develop a responsible parenting agreement (staff only) for further information.
• Refer to Organise an attendance advisory panel (staff only) for further information.
• If a decision is made to proceed to prosecution, relevant documentation may be used as evidence that reasonably practicable steps to restore attendance have been taken.  Refer to Legal Services for information on prosecution.

Guidance

• A section 24 arrangement is used for primary or secondary students who are temporarily attending another school or who wish to undertake an alternative attendance arrangement for short term programs provided by another school or training organisation away from the student’s current school.  The formal arrangement in writing between a principal and parent of a student under the age of 18, or student who has turned 18, allows the student to participate in an educational program delivered by a third party.  This is not required for VET for school students.
• Section 24 arrangements may include courses provided by a TAFE, a private Registered Training Organisation (RTO),a Community Based Course, the At-Risk-School-Aged Students programs, engagement with School of Special Educational Needs: Sensory and Medical/Mental Health or temporary attendance at another school.
• The principal should review the alternative attendance arrangement in cases of persistent student absence.
• Vocational Education and Training Courses including VET for school students, School Based Apprenticeships (SBA), School Based Traineeships (SBT), Aboriginal School Based Training (ASBT) and Pre-Apprenticeships in Schools (PAiS) or Workplace Learning (WPL) which are part of the educational program of the school and contribute to a student’s Western Australian Certificate of Education (WACE), do not require a section 24 arrangement.
• Students in Years 11 or 12 are able to participate in an approved full-time option other than school under a Notice of Arrangements.  Refer to the Alternatives to full-time schooling website for further information.
• Refer to Organise an alternative attendance arrangement (staff only) for further information.