School policy requires notification of student absence by 9am on the day of absence. The below options (in preferential order) are available to notify the school of an absence:
Student Absentee SMS Line (text messages only) 0417 978 610
Student Absentee Voicemail (voice messages only) 5438 3760
- QParents App - Find out more about QParents
Message should include student name, absence reason and absence date.
Infectious Diseases - Exclusion from school
Please use the link below to view the "Time Out Poster " that shows the minimum exclusion periods from school, preschool and child care facilities based on National Health and Medical Research Guidelines (NHMRC).
Download the Time Out Poster (PDF 1.6MB)
The guidelines have been drawn up on the premise that children who have been ill with an infectious disease will not return to school until they have fully recovered. The only exception to this rule is that children with certain skin diseases may return once appropriate treatment has commenced (see "Time Out Poster")
These recommended periods are issued as a guide to schools and medical practitioners and may be modified in individual cases as circumstances warrant. Variations from these recommendations may be warranted in cases of local epidemics.
In cases of doubt or for guidance about conditions not mentioned on the list, advice should be sought from the appropriate clinician, school medical officer or medical officer of a health authority.
Sunshine Coast Regional Health Authority, Environmental Health Unit, recommends that all children should be immunised against measles, mumps, rubella, poliomyelitis, diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus, according to the NHMRC recommended schedule. If this was to occur the need to exclude case contacts should not arise.
Parents/carers are asked to observe these regulations fully.
Please note: Parents/carers/emergency contacts will be phoned and asked to collect their child from school unless the above instructions are followed.
Compulsory Attendance
Regular attendance by each child is necessary for satisfactory progress to be made. Therefore, parents must assume the responsibility for the regular attendance of their child/children.
Parents will be informed by mobile phone Short Message System (SMS) each time their child is away from school and the absence is unexplained. At Talara Primary College, student safety and attendance are a high priority. We know that students who attend regularly are more likely to be successful. The school expects parents/caregivers to contact the school in advance if they know their child will be absent.
If your child is away and you have not notified the school a SMS text message will be automatically sent to the mobile phones of the designated parent explaining that our records show that your child is absent from school. The message will read as follows: Talara PC records show <Preferred Name> <Family Name> is absent <Day> <Absent Date>, Pls reply SMS student name, absence reason, absent date.
Research shows that if your child has a record of good attendance, they are more likely to achieve high results in the future.
So that regulations under the Education Act are followed, parents are requested to provide a reason of explanation regarding a child's absence from school. After the third day of absence without explanation, the parent will be contacted by the school requesting an explanation for the child's absence. In the event of a child being absent for a period of 3 weeks without notification and efforts by the school to contact parents are unsuccessful, the child's enrolment will be cancelled. Where an unsatisfactory explanation of absenteeism is received from the parent/carer and truancy is apparent, the matter will be reported to the appropriate authorities.
Since it is our overarching aim to enhance learning outcomes, we will monitor unnecessary absenteeism carefully to ensure a student's opportunity to learn is not impaired. Going shopping, visiting family, staying up late and being tired or extending school holidays are not acceptable reasons for being away from school.
Everyday Counts Policy
Every Day Counts is a state-wide initiative addressing the issue of student attendance at school. The initiative is designed to change parent, community and student attitudes to school attendance. It requires the support of both parents and the community if student attendance is to be successfully addressed.
Every Day Counts promotes four key messages:
all children should be enrolled at school and attend on every school day
schools should monitor, communicate and implement strategies to improve regular school attendance
truanting can place a student in unsafe situations and impact on their future employability and life choices
attendance at school is the responsibility of everyone in the community.
The official Education Queensland Policy can be accessed at:
https://education.qld.gov.au/initiatives-and-strategies/initiatives/every-day-counts