St James Primary School recognises that every day of attendance in school contributes towards student learning and achievement.

St James has a responsibility to record student attendance and respond to instances of irregular attendance.  It is important for our school to investigate the patterns and underlying causes of non-attendance so that appropriate strategies can be implemented.

All staff of St James Primary School are legally required to monitor and record attendance of all students in their daily care. This includes whether a student is absent or present in class, on excursion or attending a school based activity.

Legal guardians of children have a legal obligation, as set out in the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006, to ensure a child is enrolled at and attends school.​

Class rolls, whether electronic or paper based, can be required as evidence in court and assist in establishing that a school has met their legal requirements. Attendance records are required as part of a school's Workplace Health and Safety requirements and can be a critical factor in identifying serious student protection concerns. In addition, student attendance records are used for student reporting, fee allocation and government reporting.