Attendance Management Plan and Supporting STAR Procedures

Strategic Priorities

Regular school attendance is important for students to achieve their educational potential.  The government target is that 80% of students will be regularly attending school by 2030.

Our school currently has 71% regular attendance and a target of lifting regular attendance to 75% by the end of 2026.

Board responsibilities

The board is responsible for taking all reasonable steps to ensure that the school’s students attend the school when it is open for instruction.

The board will comply with the provisions in the legislation in relation to student attendance by:

·       having a commitment to support students return to regular attendance

·       having processes and procedures in place to support a Stepped Attendance Response to student absence that uses data-based thresholds to identify students

·       recording all absences, and responding accordingly

·       having an effective method in place for identifying and monitoring student absence, including identifying patterns and barriers to student attendance

·       publishing this attendance management plan on the school’s website.

Principal responsibilities

The principal is responsible for:

·   developing and implementing a stepped attendance response aligned with the thresholds to support student attendance

·   ensure that student absence is investigated, responded too and actions taken recorded aligned with the thresholds

·   ensure all students, whānau and staff understand the processes and procedures that support student attendance

·   Report to the board on any trends, barriers to attendance and interventions being used to support student attendance.

Procedures/supporting documentation

Attendance management Procedure - Stepped Attendance Response (STAR)- see below

Monitoring

The principal will maintain reporting of daily attendance data. 

The board will receive termly attendance reporting- including information provided by the Every Day matters report. Included in this reporting will be any emerging trends, barriers to attendance, and areas of concern for the board's consideration.

Legislative compliance/ Legislation

Education and Training Act 2020

Education Attendance rules

Education Attendance Management Plan regulations (yet to be passed)

 Attendance Management Procedure- Stepped Attendance Response

We recognise the importance of regular attendance to help our students achieve their educational potential.

Our attendance procedures ensure students are accounted for during schools’ hours.  This allows school staff to identify and respond to student attendance concerns.

We have a stepped attendance response to ensure we are able to identify students and offer appropriate interventions at the thresholds to support students to return to regular attendance. 

We have annual targets for student attendance and work with students, parents and caregivers, staff and an external agency, where necessary to improve our levels of student attendance.

Parent/Whānau: 

·       ensure students attend every day they are able

·       reinforce good attendance habits

·       have open communication with the school

·       follow the school’s attendance management plan and associated attendance policies and procedures.

School responsibilities: 

• communicate clearly to parents attendance expectations on enrolment, at the start of the year and each term

• communicate to parents what steps the school will take if the student is absent from school

• monitor student attendance

• report termly to parents on attendance of their child.

School Procedures

The principal will appoint staff and delegate duties, so as to manage the recording of the electronic student attendance register and the follow-up procedures for non- attending students.

Non-teaching staff with duties associated with our attendance system will support teachers to maintain accurate up-to-date attendance information.

Classroom teachers are responsible for recording student attendance to their class each morning and afternoon.

Class teachers have responsibility for maintaining accurate and up-to -date records and supporting the attendance systems.  They will also monitor and follow-up on lateness and other attendance issues.

Senior leaders are responsible for monitoring student attendance and ensuring that parents are informed of attendance concerns.  Senior leaders and will be kept informed of serious student absence situations.

Parents will receive student attendance data via termly updates.

Outside agencies will be used as appropriate to support attendance.

Students will be identified at the thresholds.  Follow-up response actions will be tailored to the reasons for absence.

Patterns of attendance and specific interventions being used will be evaluated by the SLT termly to review outcomes and effectiveness of these interventions

Attached is the Stepped Attendance Response Activities for our school.  Any action taken can be considered at any threshold.  All actions taken to respond to absences will be recorded in Hero.  If you have any questions about our Stepped Attendance Response or procedures, please contact the office. 

School Stepped Attendance Response Activities

Below is our stepped attendance response for responding to individual student absence.  Actions can be taken at any stage and there is no requirement to wait for a student to be identified at a threshold to take action to address non attendance.  Parents will be contacted with any attendance concerns. 

Any attendance data related questions please contact the office.