Countering student absences

MARCH 2009

Schools in Cairns and Bundaberg are extolling the virtues of the Every Day Counts campaign, which was launched last year to reduce student absenteeism and drive home the importance of regular school attendance.

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Making it count in Cairns

Personalising learning...Cairns West's Maureen Maher shares a laugh with her Year 4 students.

Behind a passionfruit vine-laden fence in a Cairns suburb sits a school that is tackling some of education's most troublesome issues head-on and winning.

Cairns West State School is winning the battle against truancy and social dislocation and is now seeing improved results, a notable closing of the gap in outcomes between Indigenous and non-Indigenous students and a decrease in the number of absences.

Principal Michael Hansen came to Cairns West last year after 14 years teaching in remote Cape York Aboriginal communities.

He said Cairns West had the largest Indigenous student population of any urban state school in Queensland.

'We can lay claim to having the largest Torres Strait Islander student population - outside of Tagai State College and the Northern Peninsula Area State College - in Australia,' Mr Hansen said.

'We also have about 15 per cent Cook Islanders, five per cent West African and five per cent Hmong Chinese, while about 10 per cent are Caucasian.'

Mr Hansen said the school had set high expectations 'for our students and ourselves'.

'We teach kids as individuals in the classroom,' he said.

'This year we will be personalising learning for all students in this school.

'That is absolutely critical, especially given the historical transience of our students.

'At any given time our numbers can fluctuate from 450 to 550.'

Mr Hansen said one of the reasons for the school's reduced absenteeism was a renewed focus on engagement with the community.

'We do this through programs such as our big breakfast when parents are invited for a meet-and-greet and performances by students and special guests.'

School staff also visit students' homes to speak to parents and carers.

'The deputy principal Bill Richards and I make 15 to 20 home visits a week,' Mr Hansen said.

'These are for kids who aren't coming to school or are reluctant attendees or who we know have other issues.

'It's really about going out and making sure that families know it's important for every child to come to school every day.'

A staff member follows up on student attendance, compiling a list of students who have been absent for three days or more and follows up with families.

'She'll make a few phone calls and if there's no answer she'll go out and make a series of home visits together with another teacher aide,' Mr Hansen said.

'Parents from this area are traditionally very shy. You really have to make an effort to get out there and meet them and have a yarn.'

And this approach is starting to pay off.

'Last year we saw significant improvement in closing the gap of our Year 2 net and our Years 3, 5 and 7 test results,' Mr Hansen said.

Banding together in Bundaberg

Six high schools in the Bundaberg area have banded together to use the Every Day Counts campaign to improve their students' attendance and learning outcomes.

The six schools are Bundaberg State High School, Kepnock State High School, Bundaberg North State High School, Rosedale State School, Isis District State High School and Gin Gin State High School.

Bundaberg State High School principal Raelene Fysh said the group of schools have adopted a number of strategies to improve student attendance and ensure a consistent message across the community.

Not only have the schools included Every Day Counts brochures in their enrolment packs, they've adopted the campaign's catchphrase and extended it to 'every lesson of every day of every week counts'.

The slogan is used extensively by the schools and promoted to all students, staff and parents.

Each of the schools also sends information to parents whose students have high levels of absenteeism.

The schools are also working with local media and shopping centres to promote the Every Day Counts campaign and encourage greater reporting of student absences.

In addition, Bundaberg, Bundaberg North and Kepnock state high schools have installed the ID Attend system as a way of tracking student attendance.

The security system involves students swiping their student card whenever they arrive at or leave school.

'The monitoring of student attendance will continue to be a high priority for all high schools in the Bundaberg area, and support from parents and the local community will ensure the best outcomes for local young people,' Ms Fysh said.

The Every Day Counts campaign was launched in October last year.

It is aimed at changing parent, community and student attitudes to school attendance and ensuring every child attended school every school day.

Visit the Every Day Counts website for more information.