ATTENDANCE
“Attendance is the first step in accessing learning and is essential for educational success, achieving qualifications and attaining wider social and economic outcomes” (Ministry of Education, 2022)
Attendance is so incredibly important when it comes to effective learning in the classroom. Over the past year we have pushed hard to promote regular attendance with our students as attendance was something that dropped off as we worked through covid-19 and the pandemic. The Ministry of Education defines ‘regular’ attendance as attending school 90% of the time, this equates to no more than one day per fortnight away from school (Ministry of Education, 2022). In 2022 we only had 40% of our students attending ‘regularly.’ in 2023 this rose to 60%. Although we have made progress, there is still plenty of work to be done. It is my hope that as we progress through 2024 we can continue to improve the attendance of all of our students.
“School attendance is the most crucial prerequisite for quality education - students can not learn when they are not at school”
The Ministry of Education has done extensive research into the link between attendance and achievement. A report written by the Ministry in 2020 found that when attendance is below 95% there is a decrease in the level of achievement. Although high, 95% attendance still means one half day of school off per fortnight. Although our government uses 90% as the cut-off for regular attendance, in other countries this would be the attendance % that would trigger external support and intervention. The report also found that students who attend school 100% of the time achieve 13-15 NCEA credits more than those who attend 90% of the time.
Our Attendance Processes
At Mackenzie College we monitor attendance daily by checking that students are present for school and inquiring when they are away. This is managed throughout our front office and form teachers. We also monitor average attendance by looking at attendance patterns 2-3 times per term. It is at these points that attendance concerns may be raised with students or their caregivers. If attendance is dropping below 90% and we are unsure why this has taken place we will reach out to you to make a plan moving forward. If there are any barriers to attending school this is when these may be unpacked further with you. When attendance starts to drop below 80% then this is when we may need to pass attendance concerns onto external attendance advisors in the community. For the Aoraki region this is done by Arowhenua whānau services. These attendance providers are then able to work more closely with families to ensure young people are attending school. Ultimately we want all of our students to attend school all of the time, if there are barriers to this then please get in touch with us so we can support this to become a reality. Others things you can do to support attendance at home include:
Booking driving tests/lessons outside of school hours
Booking medical appointments out of school hours where possible
Booking holidays outside of school term time
Letting the school know when your child is going to be away from school
As we move further into term one I challenge you to ask your child about their attendance, ask if they know the percentage of school they have attended so far this year (they should be able to see this in their student portal, my mahi or they can ask their form teacher). Sit down and have a conversation about this number, it may lead to some interesting discussions!
If you have any queries about your child’s attendance, or any pastoral matter, please feel free to get in touch with us. I have included the contact details for our pastoral team below
Ethan Smith - Deputy Principal (Pastoral)
E: ethans@mackcollege.school.nz
P: (03) 685 8603 ext: 711
Jo Parke - Y11-13 Dean
Steve Onyett - Y9-10 Dean
E: steveo@mackcollege.school.nz
Sarah Williams - Y7-8 Dean