Last year the Department of Education and Children’s Services (DECS) reported a state-wide average attendance rate of 90 per cent for semester one.

However, according to the Federal Government’s new My School website, most schools in the region have attendance rates below 85 per cent.

One Port Augusta school recorded a rate of 68 per cent - a figure that between Reception and Year 12 would equate to an average of four years of lost study.

DECS Far North and Aboriginal lands office regional director, David Craig, said poor attendance rates remained a leading concern for schools in the region.

“Literacy and numeracy are priorities too but if we can’t get students to school then we are not able to provide an education,” he said.

“If students continually miss days at schools it’s very hard for them to catch up.”

Mr Craig said schools were introducing a range of measures to tackle lagging attendance rates – measures which were showing improvements in some schools, but not others.

“Staff in school conduct home visits, do bus runs, provide breakfast programs and modify curriculum to meet student needs.

“We have an attendance officer and other agencies involved when there are complex issues.

“Programs such as ICAN (Innovative Community Action Networks) and monitoring initiatives are also now operating in our region.

“These programs work with communities to improve attendance and outcomes for young people – the basis being that it takes a village to educate a child.”

Mr Craig also said local pre-school teachers were also paying more attention to student attendance, so children could start developing good routines early on.