This is guided by the Ministry of Education: Attendance and Engagement Strategy.

The link to Full strategy can be found here

The Government has developed a strategy for tackling the decade-long decline in regular attendance and engagement in schools, based on what they heard from the sector through Kōrero Mātauranga and the Education and Workforce Select Committee Inquiry into school attendance.

The strategy has three key parts:

1. clear expectations for everyone involved,

2. ambitious targets for attendance levels,

3. and bold actions.

As part of this strategy, we will be sending home regular communication regarding your ākonga attendance at school. Letters will be sent at the end of the term when a learner’s attendance falls below 90%. This percentage includes justified absences such as medical as it is about time away from school rather than the reason. Letters will also be sent when attendance falls below 85% and 80%.

Follow-up regarding time away from school will occur via the office phoning you if a child is absent for three or more days without explanation and the reason recorded in Hero.

If there is further concern regarding the impact on learning due to low attendance, the Pod Teacher or Leader of Learning will connect with you to see how we can best support you and your child moving forward.

Our key aim is to work with families to ensure that learners do not fall behind in their learning. The New Zealand Education Act requires that learners are present, participating and progressing in their learning regularly.

• Regular attendance: students with over 90% attendance (missing fewer than five days of school in a standard 10-week term)

• Irregular absence: students with more than 80% and up to 90% attendance (students missing 5 – 9 ½ days of a standard term)

• Moderate absence: students with more than 70% and up to 80% attendance (missing 10 – 14 ½ days of school in a term)

• Chronic absence: students 70% attendance or less (missing 15 days or more of school in a term)

Both home and school have a role to play in this.

Please see the Ministry of Education attendance codes that a school is required to use below. As a parent, you will see the codes ‘P (present)’, ‘J (Justified)’ or ‘U(unjustified)’ on Hero.