School disciplinary absences
The Queensland Department of Education is committed to ensuring every state school provides a safe, supportive, respectful and inclusive learning environment where all students can learn, achieve and reach their full potential. Working together with students, parents and the broader community, we strive to ensure school communities are supportive spaces for everyone.
School Disciplinary Absences (SDA) include suspension, exclusion and cancellation of enrolment. Prior to making a decision about SDA, school principals will consider a student's individual circumstances such as behaviour history, disability, mental health and wellbeing, religious and cultural considerations, home environment and care arrangements.
The Student Code of Conduct is in the school’s behaviour policy, which clearly sets out expectations about staff responsibilities to support students to understand and meet discipline expectations of the school, and guidance on the application, where required, of disciplinary consequences.
Information about school rules, consequences, including suspension, exclusion and cancellation of enrolment, and processes for addressing bullying and cyberbullying and use of mobile devices by students the use of technology can be found in the school's Student Code of Conduct. Each school’s Student Code of Conduct is developed in consultation with the school community, provided to newly enrolled students and their parents and published on the school website.
| Types of absences | Description |
|---|---|
Suspension | A suspension can be short (1 – 10 days) or a long suspension (11 – 20 days). Grounds for suspension are: disobedience; misbehaviour; conduct that adversely affects, or is likely to adversely affect, other students or the good order and management of the school; the child’s attendance at the school poses an unacceptable risk to the safety or wellbeing of other students or staff. |
Suspension (charge related) | If the student is charged with a serious offence; or is charged with an offence other than a serious offence, and the school principal is reasonably satisfied it would not be in the best interests of other students or staff for the student to attend school while the charge is pending. |
Exclusion | Grounds are similar to those outlined above in ‘suspension’ and extend to students who have been convicted of an offence and the school principal is reasonably satisfied it would not be in the best interests of other students or staff for the student to be enrolled at the school. |
Cancellation of enrolment | The only ground for the cancellation of enrolment is refusal to participate in the educational program provided by the school. Students must be older than compulsory school age (16 years of age or completed Year 10). |
When applying disciplinary consequence action, the school principal is required to provide a decision notice to the student, their parent/carer outlining the reasons for the decision, whether/how it can be appealed. For permanent exclusions, the notice will also include details about how to make a periodic review submission to the Director-General, Department of Education.
A student, their parents/carers, Child Safety Officer, or someone else on their behalf, can make a submission to the Director-General, Department of Education for all types of school disciplinary absences other than a short suspension.
The school principal is also required to arrange for the student to continue their education during a period of suspension. It is important to advise Child Safety and your agency support worker as soon as possible, to enable the child’s safety and support network to discuss how this will best be achieved.
Read more and find resources about a student's expected behaviour.