Rules and policies are in place to make sure your child remains safe and well at school.
Visit the NSW Department of Education’s policy library for all current operational policies.
Our school uses the department's School Community Charter to ensure all of our communication is collaborative and respectful.
Attendance and absences
Students must attend school regularly so they can achieve their educational best and increase their career and life options.
In NSW, all children from the age of 6 are legally required to attend school or be registered for home schooling through the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA). All students must complete Year 10, or its equivalent.
Young people below the age of 17 who have completed Year 10 must be:
in school, or registered for home schooling
in approved education or training, such as a traineeship, apprenticeship or TAFE
in full-time paid employment (average 25 hours a week)
in a combination of work, education and/or training (average of 25 hours a week combined).
Students 17 years and over who are enrolled in school must attend school regularly to meet HSC course requirements.
As a parent or carer, you are responsible for ensuring your child attends school every day when they are of compulsory school age. You must explain all absences to the school within 7 days.
For more information about compulsory school attendance, visit:
Attendance
Bowral High School students are required to attend school every day unless there is a good reason why they cannot e.g. illness. Students are required to attend rollcall at the start of each day so their attendance can be recorded and checked.
Absences
If a student has been absent from school, they are required to bring a note from their parent/carer explaining their absence. This note is to be handed to their roll call teacher on the day they return to school.
Parents can also explain absences by replying to the SMS from the school.
Attendance at school
At our school, students are asked to think about their current attendance rate. The impact of even a few days away from school is explained to students.
Occasionally, a letter is sent to all families with detail of the current attendance information for individual students.
Please see the attached poster to help you discuss the importance of maintaining a high level of attendance.
School frameworks (school rules)
As well as following the department’s operational policies, we have developed frameworks for our students in line with our school’s values and commitments.
Uniforms
When students wear a school uniform, they feel included in our school community.
Students, teachers, parents and carers, as well as members of our local community helped develop our school uniform to make sure it:
meets the requirements of occupational health and safety, anti-discrimination and equal opportunity legislation
includes items that are affordable, comfortable and made from easy-care and easy-wear fabrics
is appropriate for the full range of school activities
is suitable for all body shapes.
Learn more about the NSW Department of Education’s School Uniform Policy.
Illegal items
Illegal items include:
- Illegal drugs (possession, use, distribution or representation of a substance as an illegal drug).
- Certain legal drugs, such as tobacco and alcohol.
- Possession or use of weapons.
In these cases suspension is immediate. The police will be contacted in any matters relating to illegal drugs, possession of weapons and to some acts of violence.
If a student is referred to the police for other acts of criminal behaviour, it is likely that a suspension from school will also be imposed.
Digital devices at school
Purpose
This document is in line with the NSW Department of Education policy for student use of digital devices and online services; it explains to the Bowral High School community our procedures and the use of the YONDR pouch system from 2022 and is an update from the previous PhoneGO PhoneNO process used during 2021.
Our School’s Approach
Bowral High School does not consider mobile phones to be an appropriate digital learning device. This is due to their small screen size which has implications for optical health as well as their incompatibility with the software required to access a wide range of learning activities and experiences. Student learning will be supported through access to digital devices such as desktop computers and Chromebooks for activities that require specific access to online and offline platforms. Specialist areas will have access to school-owned handheld devices to support the documentation of student work.
Student Expectations
Once allocated a pouch, students will be expected to have their phone secured in their pouch for the duration of the school day, except where exemptions apply as set out below. Students are not permitted to have headphones, air pods, earbuds, or other devices that connect to their phones via Bluetooth. If sighted these will be managed by staff the same as a non-pouched device.
Once students enter school grounds they are expected to:
- Unlock their pouch using an unlocking station
- Turn their mobile phone OFF and place their phone in the pouch
- Lock the pouch for the duration of the day
- Unlock pouches at one of the unlocking stations as they leave school
Roll call teachers will check that students have their phones locked in the YONDR pouch at the beginning of roll call each day.
On their first day at Bowral High School, students will be provided with their YONDR pouches and be given an explanation of the Bowral High School phone procedure.
Enrollment procedures
Bowral High School & Moss Vale High School Enrolment Policy (pdf 549 KB)
Non-Local Enrolment Policy (pdf 149 KB)