We know regular attendance at school is very important. There is a clear connection between going to school regularly and doing well in the classroom. Higher levels of participation in school and learning can mean better health, higher incomes and better job stability. Regular attendance is defined by the Ministry of Education as attending school over 90% of the time.

There is a government push to increase attendance. The Marlborough Attendance Service is working with all Marlborough schools to increase the percentage of students attending regularly.

The video here shows some of our students discussing why they enjoy coming to school.

When rangatahi miss school, not only are they missing out on important learning that they need, but they miss out on friendship, connections, and fun moments. We need to all work together to increase school attendance.

What you can do to help your rangatahi attend school:

• Ask what they did at school and praise them for their efforts.

• Talk about why school is important – ask your rangatahi what they want to be in the future. School enables them to have options. 

• Encourage them to prepare the night before school – getting the right equipment and gear sorted, setting an alarm (or two!).

• Set a good morning routine to get them to school on time and relaxed with everything they need.

How can we help?

We know there can be important reasons why rangatahi do not go to school, such as long-term illness, bullying, anxiety or financial challenges. If your child is affected by any of these, please talk to us first. 

We will work with you to remove barriers to attendance. There are many supports available to help make it easier. Your student's whānau teacher is your first port of call. It’s part of their role to work together with you and your student to overcome any barriers and help your student to attend regularly. You can email the whānau teacher using firstname.lastname@mgc.school.nz.

You can also contact the appropriate year-level Dean listed below:

• Year 9 - Meri Crawford - meri.crawford@mgc.school.nz

• Year 10 - Stephen Galt - stephen.galt@mgc.school.nz

• Year 11 - Sophie Taetuli - sophie.taetuli@mgc.school.nz

• Year 12 - Sia Alipia - sia.alipia@mgc.school.nz

• Year 13 - Jenny Pullin - jenny.pullin@mgc.school.nz

How to notify MGC if your rangatahi is going to be absent: Read HERE

The diagram below shows how much learning time is missed due to non-attendance.

How to notify MGC if your rangatahi is going to be absent: Read HERE