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Attendance – Every Day Matters

Absentees

If your child is going to be absent from school for any reason, you have three ways to contact the school and let us know:

Prompt communication helps us ensure the safety and wellbeing of all students and maintain accurate attendance records.

Regular school attendance is one of the strongest predictors of student success. When students attend school consistently, they build learning routines, develop friendships, and make steady academic progress. Even small amounts of missed learning can add up over time and make it harder for students to keep up.

The Ministry of Education expects all schools to actively support regular attendance, and from this year we are implementing the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) framework. This is a national approach that helps schools, families, and support agencies work together early when attendance begins to drop.

Attendance is monitored closely and grouped into the following ranges:

  • Regular Attendance: 90% or higher
    Students are attending well and engaging consistently in learning.
  • Irregular Attendance: 80–89%
    This level of absence can start to affect learning. The school will make contact to check in and offer support.
  • Moderate Absence: 70–79%
    At this stage, learning is significantly impacted. A more structured response is put in place, often involving meetings, plans, and additional support.
  • Chronic Absence: Below 70%
    Students missing this amount of school are at serious risk of falling behind. The school will work closely with families and may involve external agencies to support improved attendance.

What This Means for Families

The stepped approach is support-focused. Our goal is to:

  • Identify attendance concerns early.
  • Understand barriers to attendance.
  • Work in partnership with whānau to support students back into regular learning.

We know that there are many genuine reasons why students may struggle to attend school, and we are committed to working alongside families to find solutions.

Our Plan

Our school’s plan for how we are going to target attendance is available on our website. Please take some time to read through it. The plan outlines the proactive steps the school will take to address truancy and improve attendance.

View the Attendance Management Plan

If your child is experiencing challenges that affect attendance, please contact the school as early as possible. Strong communication between home and school makes a real difference.

You Can Help By

  • Contacting the school if your child is away and explaining why. The explanation will not always justify the absence, but it helps keep the school informed.
  • Scheduling non-essential appointments, such as haircuts, outside of school hours.
  • Asking the school for help if you are struggling to get your child to school. Teamwork is key.

Currently, the school accepts the following as justified reasons for absence:

  • Sickness
  • Specialist appointments
  • Bereavement / tangi
  • External examinations
  • Participation in representative sport

Thank you for your ongoing support in helping every student attend, engage, and succeed at school.