ARARAT - Ararat's four government schools are joining forces this week to raise awareness about the importance of regular school attendance.
Ararat College, Ararat North, Ararat 800 and Ararat West Primary Schools have adopted the theme of `It's not OK to be away' during Attendance Awareness Week this week.
Student absences are a growing problem for Ararat government schools and both schools and parents need to work together to reverse this trend.
Leaders from the four government schools in Ararat participated in a course last year requiring them to choose a project for the Ararat school network, and attendance was the project adopted.
The Ararat schools received inspiration from the Clever Attendance Network in Melbourne with some of the schools involved in that network reducing average days of absence from 20 per student to under 10, below the state average and where Ararat schools need to be.
The Ararat schools used the Clever Attendance Network's model as a basis to provide a joint Attendance Policy so that, for the first time, the same procedures are followed when a child is absent across the four schools in Ararat.
The schools are also focusing on positive responses to the attendance issue.
This includes class rewards for excellent attendance, working with students and families to solve issues that might be causing non-attendance and providing relevant curriculum that meets the needs of students, as well as extra curricular activities such as sport, cooking, drama and music so that students want to come to school.
Continual absenteeism and irregular attendance can affect the student long after leaving school.
A student's absence from school can significantly limit their learning opportunities and achievements and may lead to:
- Falling behind at school to a level where the child's reading and writing skills will eventually limit their employment choices.
- Risk taking behaviour that may flow on to difficulty with police, drugs and alcohol.
- Loss of friendships and social problems.
- Being unable to find or keep a job.
- Loss of self confidence and feelings of low self worth.
There are two types of absenteeism, one is with the parents' knowledge and consent and the other is without the parents' knowledge or consent.
A survey of students from Ararat schools revealed a variety of reasons why students stay away from school, some of which include, pressure from friends, shopping days, wagging, court, death of a pet, bullying, uniforms not washed, homework issues, extended grief or loss, no way to get to school, cultural differences, head lice and car trouble.
Parents are urged to work with teachers to find out the real reason why their child does not want to or is unable to attend school.
The earlier parents are able to get help to stop unacceptable absenteeism, the sooner the problem can be overcome.
Acting principal at Ararat West, Terry Keilar, said the education of children in Ararat needs to be a collaborative approach.
''It has been exciting and encouraging to see the work teachers from all four government schools have done in improving attendance,'' he said.
''The impact at Ararat West has been immediate. We value each and every child at Ararat West and through support and a positive environment and the launch of Attendance Week we want to encourage all children to be attending school on a regular basis.''
Ararat North principal Wendy Byrne said coming to school every day built the house of knowledge with strong foundations and life long experiences, such as reliance, tolerance and good work values.
''The friends you make in primary school are your friends for life, but you have to be at school every day to strengthen the ties,'' she said.
''Missing days often means you miss chunks of sequential skill building and practice that can never be caught up.
''Coming to school is the job for all children, making sure your kids come to school regularly is your (parents') responsibility.''
According to acting Ararat College principal Peter Brennan, students can't afford to miss more than a couple of days a year away from school, otherwise their learning is affected.
''Attendance at school swimming and athletic carnivals is a great way to support your team mates and show you want to be part of a team,'' he said.
''VCE students should make it a goal not to miss a single day of school for the year. Missing school to celebrate a birthday is not on!
''Parents need to make sure that shopping trips out of town are scheduled for the weekends or days when students are not required at school.''
Parents needing assistance with dealing with a child's absenteeism are asked to contact their school to discuss the issue and come up with a strategy to overcome the problem.
Email a friend
Favourites
Del.icio.us
Facebook
Digg
StumbleUpon
MySpace
Reddit
Newsvine
LinkedIn
Kwoff
Twitter