VCE Attendance Requirements

[Rifat_Z]

Hey guys,

So I'll be the first to admit, I don't have the greatest attendance in the world, I'll routinely miss around 1 day a week. The thing is, I happened to draw the short straw in terms of teachers this year, the only good teacher I have is for English. For every other subject, there is nothing that I can't learn myself at home (which is actually easier, my 'teachers' barely teach in class anyway). So as a result, I'll stay at home a lot to study because I can get a lot more done as well as saving the travel (I take about an hour and a half to travel to school one way). My Year 12 coordinator is always giving me crap for attendance threatening to fail me, but can they actually fail your VCE on attendance alone? I've heard different things from different people, so I was a little unsure. My school has a 90% attendance requirement by the way, but when I miss school I get notes which then appear as an 'Absence Approved' on the school system. I can go to school if need be, it's just that it is a tremendous waste of time when I'd be much more efficient and successful if I stayed at home. Advice?

[pi]

I didn't learn much in most of my classes (except spesh mainly), but I had so much fun It was one of the reasons I say that my time at school was really fun with little stress. You'll thank yourself later when you're in uni, trust me you don't want to be one of those guys who didn't love their time at school. Probably the last chance you have in life to be a total idiot with no big consequences.

More than just marks my friend, more than just marks.

[lala1911]

I feel the same way as you. I've spent a year going to school for nothing. I can learn everything at home and I've probably learned nothing in class all year, apart from some key quotes and ideas in English maybe. Continue doing what you're doing if it's working. Just ensure your attendance rate is a bit over 90%. I guess you can just tell your coordinator that you have a weak immune system and get sick often. I don't think they can do anything as long as you're over 90%.

My attendance rate is 100%, taken a few days off, but all I do is get my mum to call the office lady and she approves the absence. Screw medical certificates

[brenden]

Yeah look I live ten minutes away from my school and I still missed a day a week towards the end. I'm pretty sure the school has the right to fail you based on their ow requirements, but I think VCAAs requirements is like 50 hours per subject (don't take my word for it, it was a log time ago I needed to know this information).
I think if you'd be more successful at home, then push your limits until you think they'll come good on failing you :p (assuming that being successful is your main goal). This coming from someone whose motto along VCE was closer to "just marks" .

[pi]

off-topic

Well to begin, I thought Melbourne High was well known for having great teachers along with a curriculum which was based around students being able to be flexible and learn in their own environment? (Which results in their ridiculously high median ATAR every year?)

I disagree (inb4 hate from AN community). The teachers teach much the same as uni tutors do. They're more guides rather than teachers (generally). Sure you get the odd teacher who is super motivated and will teach you heaps, but they're not all like that.

Other than the physics dep (this is when I was there), teachers seem to have a really good understanding of the courses, but leave it up to the students to do a lot of self-directed learning. Personally I didn't mind, because being spoon-fed isn't a great life skill and we were already given so many resources (both academic and co-curricular) to make up for it.

Median ATAR is high because you've chosen the "best" students from year 8 as a "selective school". Of course the ATAR median is going to be high, bit of a no-brainer there.

Having said all this, I loved my time at the Castle on the Hill and wouldn't trade those years for anything <3

[Rifat_Z]

Trust me you don't want to be one of those guys who didn't love their time at school. Probably the last chance you have in life to be a total idiot with no big consequences.

More than just marks my friend, more than just marks.

Pi, I get where you're coming from, but the whole MHS culture isn't really my cup of tea. I get involved in as many co-curricula activities as my time permits, and I'm grateful for the opportunities it's given me in that regard, but I still really don't want to go to school (I think that's mainly because of travel, if you spent 3+ hours a day just travelling I'm sure it'd get to you too!).

Basic Acid, we do have some good ones, but for every really good teacher there'll be like 2 or 3 really bad ones. It's just my luck that this year I got a majority of the 'bad' teachers (and I'm not saying bad as in I don't listen, I mean bad as in they're just bad teachers. For example, my methods teacher will come into class, sit down and do nothing, maybe one example on the board every now and then). I think it's just the talent level of the cohort that is responsible for our averages.

My SACs aren't bad, close to 100% average for Soft Dev, around B+ average for English and Chem. My maths are a little disappointing, hovering around a C average in Methods and Further, but I'm not failing. I haven't approached my coordinator, I happened to draw the short straw in that department too, I've gotten the much much stricter of the two Year 12 coordinators. He's been threatening to fail me all year and just telling me to 'hard up' if I'm sick, he's not the most sympathetic of blokes. Thanks for the responses guys! 

[pi]

(I think that's mainly because of travel, if you spent 3+ hours a day just travelling I'm sure it'd get to you too!).

I trekked from Werribee, so close to that (maybe 2.5 hours at worst)

[Rifat_Z]

I trekked from Werribee, so close to that (maybe 2.5 hours at worst)

How did you do it man? Please tell me your ways! I dunno, I just get sick of it after a while, 6:30 wakeups and getting home at like 5:30 day in and day out is a bloody drainer, not to mention VCE on top of that.

[Drunk]

School wasn't just about grades for me, I personally wanted to go to school to be with my mates. It's your last year there and most of the people in your year level you won't be seeing again so I reckon it's worth it to make the most of your time there with them while you still have it. I had my fair share of shitty teachers too so I did skip class now and then, but staying away from school is a bit much IMO.

I guess they have their reasons for attendance and as pi said, it is more than just marks and I'm pretty glad they managed to engrain that in my head. It's important that you spend time with other people rather than studying at home by yourself. Sure, the MHS culture isn't everyone's cup of tea, but there are probably other people who think the same as you do there who you could connect with. Don't waste your last year at MHS my dude, I promise you will regret it. Looking back, I can't think of anything memorable about the actual VCE from year 12, but I remember the good times I had with my mates and the general dicking around we did that year and that's what made the year for me. Some might say that VCE takes up most of their year 12 life and they won't enjoy it, but it really doesn't feel that way after you've gone through it all.

Anyway, didn't mean to write this much and probably not even addressing your actual issue, but just thought I'd put my 2c in for anyone feeling like this at this stage of the year.

[vox nihili]

How did you do it man? Please tell me your ways! I dunno, I just get sick of it after a while, 6:30 wakeups and getting home at like 5:30 day in and day out is a bloody drainer, not to mention VCE on top of that.

Wait for uni my friend...5.30 wake ups, getting back home at 8.

[pi]

How did you do it man? Please tell me your ways! I dunno, I just get sick of it after a while, 6:30 wakeups and getting home at like 5:30 day in and day out is a bloody drainer, not to mention VCE on top of that.

I was lucky (in one sense, unlucky in another) that I was the only MHS guy from my year level on my line. So I spent most of it sleeping or reading something leisurely (maybe the occasional studying) and being #foreveralone. I could therefore then stay-up until later etc and have more time to do work if I wanted to.

[Alwin]

At OP:


^you can see the official rules, you only need to attend 50 hours of each subject for VCAA to pass you. Its only if the school wishes to fail you.. then they can

Otherwise, we're both screwed AHAHAHAHAHA. My % attendance is so shitty..


IMHO I reckon if you meet the 50hours, do well enough on your sacs + collect notes/catchup then you should have no problem
But talk to your student managers/co-ordinators/those ppl in the office to double check! It just looks really bloody bad for the school if they start failing people on attendance...

[ukface]

How did you do it man? Please tell me your ways! I dunno, I just get sick of it after a while, 6:30 wakeups and getting home at like 5:30 day in and day out is a bloody drainer, not to mention VCE on top of that.

From grade 1 to grade 8, I was on the bus at 6:00AM and got home around 6:00PM - it was a private bus charter service, which was fairly ridiculous as it was about a 30 minute drive from my house to school, but they went to all these random houses out in the middle of nowhere before mine ...

Now I catch a bus at 8:15AM and am late to school everyday

[pi]

It just looks really bloody bad for the school if they start failing people on attendance...

I know MHS did 4 or 5 years back to one guy who would have had a pretty good ATAR. It happens even in the top schools, and rightly so imo.

From grade 1 to grade 8, I was on the bus at 6:00AM and got home around 6:00PM - it was a private bus charter service, which was fairly ridiculous as it was about a 30 minute drive from my house to school, but they went to all these random houses out in the middle of nowhere before mine ...

Now I catch a bus at 8:15AM and am late to school everyday

Was this a rural setting or something?

Surely there would be a public primary school or something nearby, it's all the same stuff anyway. 6am starts for a grade 1 is beyond ridiculous imo. I was tired when I did 7am->4.30pm days in yr7...

[Alwin]

It just looks really bloody bad for the school if they start failing people on attendance...

I know MHS did 4 or 5 years back to one guy who would have had a pretty good ATAR. It happens even in the top schools, and rightly so imo.

yeah, i agree that if a person exploits the system then the school does have a right to fail them. I know my mate's older brother failed vce because he didn't meet the attendance requirements (for english), but he didn't meet the vcaa rule of 50 hours either..

I'm only wondering if that guy you mention met this 50hr requirement.. i mean if he was sitting on like 89% attendance and got failed on that 1%... that's pretty damn harsh

Add: I actually don't condone the practise of skipping school / wagging just for the sake of it. My attendance is so low (~80%) because the majority is school-based activities, or feel I could get a lot more work done at home.. I always seem to send time socialising at school rather than doing the work hm