Student Attendance


Role of parents / guardians

Parents/guardians can assist the school by:

• ensuring maximum attendance and punctuality
• demonstrating disapproval of unnecessary absence
• arranging dental appointments etc outside normal school hours
• arranging family holidays during school vacation periods only
• informing the school of the reasons for the student’s absence
• contacting the school on suspicion of truancy.

Absence notes

a) students must furnish a note to the deputy principal explaining their absence. This ‘absence note’ must be delivered immediately on returning to school and must specify:
• the dates of absence
• the reason(s) for absence
• parent’s/guardian’s signature.

b) should the period of absence exceed three days, parents/ guardians are required to contact the deputy principal with an explanation.

c) The Education (Welfare) Act 2000 now demands the college returns the names of all students who are absent for 20 days or more.

Permission to leave school

Students requesting permission to leave school to attend a dental or medical appointment or for some other valid purpose must seek permission from the principal or deputy principal. Students must furnish a note from their parents/ guardians in this event. Parents must inform the college if a student is unable to return after lunch.

Rice College school attendance policy document can be found here.