One of the Government's primary focus areas is ensuring all ākonga have regular attendance. This focus means a student is present for over 90% of the term.

One strategy being trialled in our Kahui Ako (our Rolleston Learning Cluster) is for an external provider to work with schools for the next eight weeks to support families in increasing attendance.

Evidence suggests when we are looking at the correlation between progress and attendance

• Good attendance is less than one day absent every two weeks, and 90%+ attendance gives you a good chance of being successful at school.

• Being absent one to two days every two weeks is worrying. 80%—90% attendance means less chance of success at school.

• Being absent three or more days every two weeks is concerning, as 79% or less of attendance at school makes progress and success difficult.

Last year, 26% of our ākonga attended school less than 90% of the time, indicating there was less chance of those ākonga being successful at school.

Your child's attendance for Term 1 can be viewed on your Hero app under the 2025 report.

All students are legally required to attend school every day, and it is a shared responsibility to ensure they attend and engage in learning from the time they start school. 

Family holidays or taking time off for extracurricular activities (not organised by the school) are unacceptable reasons for being absent. Under the new Ministry of Education Attendance codes, these days must be coded as Unjustified absences.

Let us know if you find getting your child to school challenging.

Knowing if your child is well enough to attend school can be tricky. Health guidance to help you decide is available here. If you are still unsure, contact us, and let's work together to support your learner.