School Hours
Classrooms open at 8:30am.
Classes begin at 8:50am.
School finishes at 3:10pm, except Wednesdays when we finish at 2:30pm.
Students on site outside of these hours are required to sit outside the Deputy Principal’s office (K-6) or outside the college staffroom (7-12).
You can view our bell times here.
Lateness
Students who arrive late to school must get a late note. They can collect their late notes at the Student Services office, while parents or guardians can request late notes from the Front Office. The late notes should then be given to the classroom teacher.
If a student needs to be picked up during school hours, K-6 families should visit the Front Office for a leave pass. Students 7-12 can sign out through Student Services with permission from their parent or guardian.
Absences
How to Report an Absence
If your child is absent, please notify the college by one of the following methods:
- Respond to the text message link sent to your phone
- Use the Compass App
- Email: mountbarker.cc.away@education.wa.edu.au
- Phone: 9851 5800
We follow up on all unexplained absences, which may be done via phone call, email, or letter home. For ongoing or extended absences, a medical certificate is required.
While enrolment in Kindergarten is optional, once your child is enrolled, attendance during allocated school days is required. Regular attendance helps establish positive routines and supports children in developing confidence, social skills, resilience, and teamwork. Consistent attendance also allows students to reinforce their learning and fully grasp new concepts, optimising their overall learning experience.
When to Keep Your Child Home
Your child may wish to attend school when they are unwell, but we rely on you to ensure they are well enough to benefit from attending and not at risk of infecting other children or staff. Children generally recover more quickly when given time to rest at home. As a general guide, if your child is unwell or has symptoms such as fever, vomiting, or diarrhoea,
please keep them home for 24 hours after symptoms have fully resolved.
Truancy
The Education Act requires that students must attend daily until the end of the year in which they turn 18 and therefore truancy is illegal. Parents will be involved if truancy is suspected. Students who are truant will have consequences at college and may be referred to the Albany Education Office. Police patrols are asked to return truant students to college or to their parents at work.
Bus Students
Families are served by a bus service that brings students up 70km to college. Each student who is eligible to travel must be registered online at www.schoolbuses.wa.gov.au and approved by the Public Transport Authority (PTA) before travelling. Please contact the college if you require assistance.
Bus travel must be safe for all. Therefore bus students are required to follow the PTA code of conduct agreed to when registering. If a student misbehaves on the bus the bus driver will report it to the Bus Contractor and they will also inform the college. Repeated misbehaviour may lead to bus permission being revoked.
- Students K-6:
Young students are on a bus list and will be checked off every day. If they are not travelling on the bus, families must provide a note or a phone call to the office before 2pm so that their name can be removed from the bus list for that day. - Students 7-12:
It is up to the student to inform their bus driver if they are not travelling on the bus. The bus driver will not wait for these students to arrive for the bus.