School Attendance

In reply to Ms BEDFORD (Florey) (9 May 2017).

The Hon. S.E. CLOSE (Port Adelaide—Minister for Education and Child Development, Minister for Higher Education and Skills): I have been advised:

Attendance data is calculated over a period in time. The Department for Education and Child Development (DECD) use the annual census data recorded for the semester 1 period.

2016 Semester 1 consisted of 101 enrolled days and the numbers of students calculated at this point as having:

the highest attendance (100% attendance/0 absent days) is 13,647 students (this equates to 8 per cent of the total school population); and

the lowest attendance (0% attendance/101 absent days) is 25 students (this equates to 0.01 per cent of the total school population).

In semester 1 2016, the average days absent per student was 9.4 days.

Two parents have been successfully prosecuted for the non-attendance of their children in 2017. These have been the first successful prosecutions for the department in 24 years.

It is of note that all of the children involved in this process have successfully re-engaged with their educational programs.

The department and schools are continuing to work with the children and their families to ensure that appropriate supports are in place to address the complex matters which impact on their wellbeing and attendance at school.

Research demonstrates that prosecution is one way of emphasising to parents their legal responsibility with regard to their child's attendance.

The research further suggests that the prospect of prosecution can lead to a significant improvement in student attendance and/or parental engagement even if court proceedings do not eventuate. This may be because the prospect of prosecution and the potential consequences can provide sufficient coercion for parents and caregivers to change their behaviour. The process also necessitates an evidence-gathering process whereby the concerns must be detailed, the parents are given formal opportunities to respond, and the department must demonstrate the range of interventions that have been undertaken to support the family and re-engage the student with school. This process itself (regardless of the legal sanction) has been associated with greater responsiveness from parents and caregivers.

DECD will only consider prosecution of a parent in cases where it is determined to be in the best interests of the child, all other interventions and offers of support to the family have been unsuccessful and fair warnings have been provided.