Supporting Student Attendance In-Service for School Administrators

Supporting student attendance continues to be a focus at the Durham Catholic District School Board (DCDSB) this school year. In September, school administrators were in-serviced on the updates to the Ministry of Education’s Enrollment Register Instructions for Elementary and Secondary Schools for 2025-2026 to reinforce compliance requirements and highlight changes around Ministry expectations for attendance record keeping and consecutive absences.

During this in-service, the principal and vice-principal group was oriented to a series of slides that could be used with staff to highlight preventative measures as well as attendance interventions, using a trauma-informed tiered model of intervention. There was an emphasis on improving student attendance by understanding and addressing barriers through non‑judgmental, relationship‑based support and collaboration among school staff, students, and families to help students feel welcomed, valued, and experience success at school.