Independent Schools Australia (ISA) is calling for urgent national action to tackle Australia’s growing school attendance crisis with the release of a new report that proposes a flexible, student-focused model to better support children struggling to stay in school.
The Independent Insights report, A Flexible Solution to Complex School Attendance Issues, is the first in a series of expert-led insights from ISA aimed at addressing big challenges across the entire education system.
More than 40 per cent of students in Years 1–10 are now missing at least one in ten school days—a rate that has steadily worsened over the past five years.
ISA CEO Mr Graham Catt said the experts ISA brought together to create the report found that while schools and families are trying their best, there’s no national consistency in how non-attendance is defined, recorded or addressed.
“School non-attendance is a real issue for hundreds of thousands of students and families. And while the term ‘school refusal’ implies a choice, the reality for many is that attending school just isn’t an option due to barriers like anxiety, trauma, or illness, and the fact that many students simply can’t cope with a mainstream model,” said Mr Catt.
“Our new report highlights the need to differentiate types of absenteeism, sets a clear and constructive path forward—and calls on the Australian Government to lead a cross-sector pilot to test it.”
ISA is proposing that the Multi-Tiered System of Support (MTSS) model could also be used to recognise school attendance as a continuum—from occasional absences to chronic disengagement—and helps schools respond accordingly.
Tiered interventions could include:
- Tier 1: whole-school wellbeing and belonging strategies
- Tier 2: early supports for students showing signs of distress
- Tier 3: intensive wraparound supports for students with complex needs
“Right now, schools are being asked to solve this without consistent tools or definitions. Using the MTSS model in this way would give schools a structured, student-first framework, and a way to collect valuable national data at the same time,” he said.
The report notes that this approach has the potential to help students in every school sector, and those in regional, remote and disadvantaged communities.
It also highlights the strong growth in enrolments at Independent special assistance schools, with a 276 per cent increase since 2016—evidence that many young people need more flexible, individualised learning environments.
“This is the first in a series of insights where we’re bringing together school experience, expert knowledge, and innovation to help tackle the real issues facing education,” Mr Catt said.
“Issues like this impact our society as a whole, and we need to rise above politics and blame to do better for students, families, and schools across Australia.”
Independent Schools Australia (ISA) is the national peak body representing 1,230 Independent schools across the country. These schools educate more than 744,000 students—one in five Australian school students—and employ a workforce of over 128,000 people. Independent schools are diverse, serving students from all backgrounds, including more than 145,000 in regional and remote areas, over 175,000 with disability, more than 20,900 Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, and a significant number from culturally and linguistically diverse communities. ISA advocates for fair and sustainable policies that support school choice, equity, and opportunity for every Australian family.
