One of the most important things you can do as parent of carer or school age children is to make sure they attend school. The latest research, reported today (March 26, 2018) in The Conversation, shows school attendance has a huge impact on outcomes particularly in the upper primary years. Low attendance in Year 7 may mean your child is less likely to finish school.

A key finding is that, a little unsurprisingly, better school outcomes are achieved with greater school attendance. Conducted by the Smith Family, the research found that higher attendance rates in the final years of primary school/first year of high school equated to greater completion rates by Year 12. The article goes on to note that ‘specifically, 61% of students who improved their attendance between Year 7 and 9 completed Year 12, compared to only 35% of those whose attendance remained very low across Years 7 and 9.’

This is important as some believe that intervention is of limited value after a certain age but the data would seem to show this is not the case. If parents and carers are willing to persevere then attendance will equal outcomes!

Other findings include:

  • 88% of Year 9 students who achieved an A in English completed Year 12, compared to only 50% of those who achieved an E
  • 82% of students who completed Year 12 were engaged in post-school work and/or study, compared to only 68% of those who only completed Year 10.

For more resources on strategies to encourage your child to go to school:

 

 

Endorse