Wagging school leads to poor performance in students

A DAY off per fortnight adds up to 1.3 years over 13 years of school. That’s a lot of lost learning which can disadvantage children for life.

Attending school on as many days as possible is crucial to a student’s future.

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WE all know the enormous benefits of immunising children against infectious diseases — it protects not only the ­individual who receives it, but also the wider community.

Similarly, we also know that regular school attendance benefits young people as well as our society.

Regular attendance at school is critical to ensuring that every young person has opportunities in life that he or she deserves. Every day a student is away puts them behind with their learning. It can also impact on everyone in the classroom.

Research shows that absenteeism has an affect on academic performance.

Attending school sets up good habits and strong relationships.

Moreover, it reduces the opportunities for students to build resilience, develop strong relationships and establish healthy habits.

Without these critical skills, as well as knowledge gained at school, people may find themselves underprepared for life beyond school.

One absence per fortnight equals 20 days a year. That equates to 1.3 years over the 13 years of schooling.

That is a huge amount of lost learning. We know that this has a cumulative effect over time and can actually impact on results two or three years later.

Everyone is responsible for making sure studnets attend school.

By the time a child reaches Year 2, attendance habits are already well established and those habits are hard to break, and can continue even into the workforce.

We all have a responsibility to ensure that our young people don’t miss out on the opportunities provided by schools to gain the necessary skills, insight and knowledge to lead fulfilling lives.

Reducing the rates of ­absenteeism isn’t the sole ­responsibility of schools or education systems. Developing a positive attitude ­towards attendance needs to start as early as preschool. This is why parental awareness is the first step.

Of course, some absences are unavoidable, but it’s important for teachers, parents and students to understand the impact that non-attendance has on wellbeing and academic achievement.

This year, one of our major goals as a system is to ensure every learner attends school every day possible.