Introduction:

According to the laws of the Ministry of Education and Higher Education in the State of Qatar, education is compulsory for children and youth between the ages of 5 to 16 years unless an exemption is granted.

Parents must enroll their children (of pre-school age) in state schools and ensure that the child attends school at all times when the school is open for education.

• Students must attend daily to school according to their timetables
• The principal can provide a written approval of the partial attendance on special occasions based on the reasons provided by parents
• In case of absence, the parents must provide the school with valid sick leave or other valid reasons based on which the school either accepts or rejects in accordance with the Ministry of Education and Higher Education policy

Objectives:

• Achieving the largest amount of attendance and participation for all students in the school.
• Provide students and their families at risk of absence with the necessary support in a timely manner

Execution:

• Notifying parents of the school’s policy of absenteeism and the measures taken by the school administration in the event of repeated absences. These measures are included with an increase in the number of days of absence, at the start of the school year.
• Recording the daily attendance and absence of students in the relevant records.
• Updating the absence records of students daily on the relevant database
• The school contacts the parents to inquire about the reasons of absence of their child via phone call or text message
• Parents will be urged to notify the classroom teacher of the student’s absence before the start of the school day.
• In the event that the student’s absence is repeated without an acceptable excuse and the guardian fails to reach the guardian, the student’s case will be transferred to the competent authorities and a detailed report of the student’s absence will be sent.

A policy to enhance students’ attendance:

The school follows strategies to control attendance regularity, including:

• Sending a text message to the parents emphasizing the importance of attendance and the potential drawbacks of repeated absences
• Encouraging students to be regular and committed to school attendance, and to be careful not to be absent.
• Creating safe and supportive learning environments for all students through participation in meaningful activities.
• Implement data-driven attendance strategies.
• Close follow-up with the parents to acknowledge the reasons of absence and remind parents of the consequences of repeated absence
• Supporting students to return to school after absence

Plans:

• Follow up on the sporadic and continuous absence of students through the supervisors daily.
• Providing the necessary support to students at risk of absence, following up the measures taken with them, and helping them to overcome any emergency circumstances that led to absence.
• Developing individual plans for students who need specialist intervention.
• Providing the necessary academic support in the event that a student is absent for a long period of time in absentia.
• The plans will be developed in cooperation with teachers, students, and parents of students who are planning a prolonged absence from school due to a valid reason.
• Educating parents on a regular basis about the importance of students’ attendance at school hours and not being absent.

Measures taken in the absence of students:

Parents are periodically alerted to the detriment of absence on the student’s academic achievement, stressing the need to adhere to school attendance, and that if there is any circumstance that the student has that prevents him from attending, he/she must come to the school and notify it of that, otherwise the student is subjected to strict disciplinary measures in this regard.