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Focus on at-risk students key to prevention

Increased attendance and improved relations and communication with parents and students have been the immediate outcome of an Every Day Counts initiative at Mirani State High School.

The biggest issue facing the school, which is in a rural area west of Mackay, is the distance that many students must travel to get to school.

Some students travel up to 90 minutes to get to school and relied on buses to get them from home to school.

Previous principal Grant Webb, who managed the implementation of the initiative in 2009, said, "If a student sleeps in for five minutes they will miss their bus and have no other means to get to school.

"Parents don't always have a car to get the students to the bus stop.

"We also have an issue where students who would otherwise be sent to school when feeling a little unwell and then picked up later in the day if they continue to feel ill do not get sent to school at all.

"These are just some of the issues we faced and so to find a solution we used school data to identify students at risk."

Mr Webb said the school would contact parents by phone once it was established that a pattern of absenteeism had started to occur.

"At the end of each month we go through students who are of concern. We look at their absences over a term, semester and year-to-date to identify trends. A decision is made whether to contact parents by letter with an Every Day Counts brochure or by phone and make an interview time.

"At the meeting, issues are discussed, support offered and a strategy put in place. From then on, parents are contacted for any absence and students are regularly 'checked on' by the principal."

Mr Webb said this strategy ensured parents, students and school staff all played a role in ensuring the best educational for students.

He said students were reacting positively, pleased by the interest taken in them and the praise they received for regular attendance.

For more information contact Principal Scott Cage on phone (07) 4966 7111.

Ref: 10/20269

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