Report school truancy

Staying in education is an important factor in reducing youth offending.

You can help report truancy:

  1. If the child is in uniform during school hours, and you recognise the uniform, contact the school directly.
  2. If the child is not in uniform during school hours, email the Department of Education’s North Queensland Region office at studentservicesNQR@qed.qld.gov.au or phone 4758 3222.

Schools use various processes to manage and track absences, including:

  • Roll marking at least twice a day
  • Notifying parents/carers when a student is absent from school without an explanation
  • Following up with parent/carers if no response or reason is received from them
  • Connecting students and/or parents/carers to a range of supports as appropriate
  • Initiating formal action if a student has persistent absences for which a reasonable excuse has not been provided
  • As a last resort, referring the matter to the Queensland Police Service for prosecution.

All situations are managed on an individual basis and each school may do this differently.