Attendance plan

In New Zealand, students aged 6 to 16 are legally required to attend school regularly and full-time. There’s a clear connection between going to school regularly and doing well in the classroom. Attendance is a priority at Kererū School, and we will work with parents and whānau, hapū, and government agencies to support and make sure students are attending school regularly.

If a student misses one day of school every two weeks, they miss more than a whole year of school by 16 years of age. As a parent or caregiver, you, alongside our school, play a key role in building strong habits of regular school attendance (attending school over 90% of the time).

Our school continues to build a culture that fosters attendance every day by having:

School staff who have strong relationships with students and family.
A school culture that recognises your child and your family for who you are, where you come from and what you value.
A school whānau that takes all practical steps to make sure your child is at school and progressing in their learning.
A school that is safe and welcoming for everyone in our school community.

The government’s Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) sets expectations for school, student, parent/guardian, Ministry of Education and broader system responses to student absence. It provides a series of activities that should be considered when students meet absence thresholds. The actions taken will be tailored to the reasons for absence, for example a student with a chronic illness will require tailored support for their education. Clear communication is key to understand the reasons for absence and develop a plan to manage the situation.

Day to Day Absences

Please contact the office every morning that your child is going to be absent. The Report an Absence feature within Hero is our preferred method of communication, but you can also ring us on 06 876 0923. Please provide a brief reason for their absence to assist with attendance coding and to monitor for trends across the school i.e. Head cold, stomach bug, fever, dentist appointment.

Students must visit the office if they arrive late to school or are leaving at any point during the day (i.e. doctor appointment).

If a student is missing from class when the roll is taken, the teacher marks their attendance with the code (?). Our Office Manager will then send a text notification to the primary caregiver to report and seek confirmation of their absence. This code becomes (T) Truant if we don’t receive a reason for their absence. A medical absence of three days or more may require a medical certificate to be presented to the school office.

You can view our Attendance Plan HERE