From the Principal's Desk
Dear Parents/Carers,
As a follow on from the previous newsletter I thought I might share with you the “real” impact students' absence is having on the learning at St Paul’s. We have been currently plotting student progress and aligning it to the number of days each student has been absent from school. This has amplified significantly since COVID where in 2021 the students had 13 weeks of lockdown and an additional 4 weeks absence from school on average and therefore, 17 weeks out of a possible 40 weeks absent from school. We know this has had the greatest impact on the infants grades and our grade 3 national testing data reflects this. It has been a challenge to turn this around for some students and families as we are now impacted by heightened wellbeing matters for many of the students.
The table below outlines a summary for each grades’ data linking student absence to where a student sits in the following four groupings in literacy and numeracy:
Red - Students needing significant support
Yellow - Students potentially at risk
Green - Students at grade expectations
Blue - Students operating above grade expectations
Based on students' assessments, teachers were asked to group their class into the four above areas. Individual student absence for terms 1 and 2 (semester 1) were then directly compared to this.
FINDINGS FROM ENGLISH TEAM
| Grade | Sentence related to attendance data |
| Kinder | Students in Kindergarten averaged 5.5 days absent for Semester 1. Of this, students working below stage standard (Red & Yellow) are averaging an absence of 6.4 days. Attendance is fundamental during this foundational year of schooling, and these students are missing vital learning. |
| Year 1 | In Semester One, we had an average of 7 days absent. Furthermore, students working below grade expectations (Red & Yellow) averaged eight days. Fifteen of these students have targeted daily intervention which they are missing when they are absent. |
| Year 2 | Students in Year 2 has an average of 6 days absent for Semester One. This data showed the students working below average (Red & Yellow) or receiving targeted intervention were missing valuable support time which affected their learning. |
| Year 3 | Students in Year 3 averaged 5 days absent for Semester One. Students working below grade expectations (Red & Yellow) are missing daily intervention and valuable support time to assist them in their learning. |
| Year 4 | Students in Year 4 averaged 8 days absent, per student, in Semester One. Sixteen of these students participate in targeted intervention programs (Red) which they are missing when they are absent. |
| Year 5 | Students in year 5 averaged 5.5 days absent for Semester 1. Of this, Students working below stage standard (Red & Yellow) are averaging an absence of 7 days. Attendance is important and these students are missing vital learning. |
| Year 6 | Students in year 6 averaged 7.5 days absent for semester 1. Of this, students working below stage standard (Red & Yellow) and are receiving intervention, averaged 14.3 days absent for semester 1. Average for intervention students is almost double the amount of the whole grade. |
A lack of school attendance can have a significant impact on student performance for several reasons. Firstly, by attending school regularly we provide students with valuable support with their learning such as access to small group instruction. Missing out on these resources can hinder the understanding and mastery of concepts taught in these settings.
Additionally, school attendance promotes a structured learning environment that encourages active participation, engagement and student well being. Consequently, a lack of school attendance can disrupt these crucial foundations for academic success, potentially leading to lower performance and achievement levels.
FINDINGS FROM MATHS TEAM
| Grade | Sentence related to data |
| Kinder | In Kindergarten there is a pattern between attendance and students requiring support. Those who require further support (Red & Yellow) have a larger number of absences from school. These children are missing valuable support time to assist them in their learning. |
| Year 1 | Students working below grade expectations (Red & Yellow) averaged eight days absent for Semester One. Thirteen of these students have targeted daily intervention which they are missing when they are absent. |
| Year 2 | Students working below grade expectations (Red & Yellow) averaged 11 days absent for Semester One. These students are missing daily intervention and valuable support time to assist them in their learning. |
| Year 3 | Students in Year 3 averaged 5 days absent for Semester One. Students working below grade expectations (Red & Yellow) are missing daily intervention and valuable support time to assist them in their learning. |
| Year 4 |
The students working below grade expectations (Red & Yellow) had a significant number of absences. These students are missing intervention and are having difficulty in achieving success in their learning. |
| Year 5 | Students working below grade expectations (Red & Yellow) averaged 7 days absent for Semester One. Students working above grade expectation averaged 4 days absent for Semester One. |
| Year 6 | Students working below grade (Red & Yellow) expectations averaged 13 days absent for Semester One. Students working above grade expectation averaged 4 days absent for Semester One. |
The above summaries are deeply concerning. The Diocesan target for attendance is 95%. This means that for the whole year a student can be absent ten days, about the equivalent adults in the workplace receive. Our data only for the first half of the year indicates that grade averages are tracking well beyond that level in many cases. In addition to this, the students who need the support most, are missing out on their intervention support which comes at a huge progress cost to the student and a significant waste in financial resources.
If we don’t turn this around by ensuring the students are at school and not away for holidays outside of school holidays, birthdays, family events, marriages etc the school cannot maximise its impact on lifting the performance of the students.
Unfortunately, this is largely on your shoulders, as the parent, and it is coming at a cost to the child, our national testing data and our data summaries above validate this.
Finally I wish to also acknowledge that the above figures are average figures and many children are averaging below the diocesan target of no more than ten days for the year absent. That being the case, the concerning thing is that they are the ones who mask how concerning the data is for many individual children.
Principal Awards
Congratulations to the following students who have recently received a Principal Award.
Sophie Vella, Christian Cunningham, Uliana Krizmanic, Archer Linden, Sophia Smith, Corbin Graham, Sophie Puckrin, Beth McAllister, Monique Spinks, Lorena Brescia, Lucas Rota, Emily Croke, Michaela Togias, Paisley Howman, Hartley Ivicevic, Ari Gauci, Layla Green, Anthony Macri.