Start of year attendance article 2025

Tēnā koutou 

Similar to 2024, attendance is a major focus for 2025. As a school we have a minimum attendance expectation of 90%, this equates to no more than one day away from school per fortnight on average across the school year. Although we say our minimum expectation around attendance is 90%, we certainly want our ākonga to be attending as often as they are able to do so. 

Research from the Ministry of Education shows a definitive link between attending school at least 90% of the time and academic achievement. At a school level we see much higher levels of academic success and progress when attendance levels are above 90%. This includes at NCEA level one, two and three. As well as academic success there are also links between higher attendance and stronger social connections, wellbeing and mental health. 

Attendance Processes for 2025

• If you know your child will be away from school please let us know. This can be done by bringing a note from a caregiver to the office, recording the absence in the school bridge app or contacting the school on 03 684 7039.

• If your child is away for three or more days and it is a medical absence, then you need to provide a medical certificate. Please bring this to the front office. 

• If your child is late to school they need to report to the front office to sign in. 

• Holidays should be booked outside of term time, on occasions where this is unavoidable they need to be reported to the front office. 

• If your child needs to be away from school for representative sport or cultural endeavours please flag these with the front office so we can make a plan surrounding attendance. 

• As we progress throughout the year we will provide attendance updates to whānau when/if attendance drops below 90%. This is to keep whānau aware of their child’s attendance and to open dialogue about how we can work together to promote positive attendance shifts. 

Changes to Attendance Codes

A significant change that the Ministry of Education has introduced for 2025 is the way that your child’s attendance is coded in the school management system. They have drastically decreased the number of codes and made them much easier to understand and ensure that the correct code is applied to your child. These new codes, as well as a descriptor for each, have been attached to this article. Please take some time to review these so you are able to confidently track and monitor your child’s attendance. 

If you have any questions regarding attendance and the changes and processes for 2025, please reach out to your child’s ako teacher or whānau leader.

Ngā mihi