Waipipi School

Student Attendance Policy

At Waipipi School, our attendance procedures ensure students are accounted for during school hours and activities as well as emergency events. This allows school staff to identify and respond to student attendance concerns. We recognise the importance of regular attendance to support student welfare and help students achieve their educational potential.

As required by the Education and Training Act 2020 (s 35), students between six and sixteen years old must be enrolled at school. Once enrolled, it is compulsory to attend school regularly, unless a specific exemption has been approved by the school and the Ministry of Education. The board takes all reasonable steps to ensure all students enrolled at Waipipi School attend school when it is open (Education and Training Act, s 36).

Waipipi School records and monitors attendance using set attendance procedures. We have annual targets for student attendance, and work with students, parents and caregivers, staff, and external agencies where necessary to improve our levels of student attendance. We share our attendance information with the Ministry of Education, which ensures we receive correct funding and staffing entitlements. We keep our attendance registers for seven years from the date of last entry.

Parent/Guardian and student responsibilities

Parents and guardians have legal obligations to ensure their children attend school (Education and Training Act, s 244). We expect parents/guardians to:

• notify the school as soon as possible if their child is going to be late or absent
• arrange appointments and trips outside school hours or during school holidays where possible
• work with the school to manage attendance concerns.

We share attendance expectations with students and their parents/guardians and caregivers, and require students to be present and attend classes on time.

Parents/Guardians may ask for their child to be excused from certain areas of the curriculum for religious or cultural reasons. The principal reviews these requests and considers the preferences of the student. The school provides supervision for any students who do not participate in certain areas of the curriculum.

School hours and supervision

Waipipi School staff comply with our schedule and release students at set times. For information about supervision outside of school hours, see Before and After School Supervision.

Students are not allowed to leave the school during school hours unless permission is requested by parents/caregivers and given by the school. The secretary must be notified.

If a student is ill or injured at the school or a school-related activity and needs to be taken elsewhere (e.g. home or a medical facility), we follow our procedures for Managing Injuries and Illness.

The principal assures the board that student absences are correctly recorded, monitored, and followed up. See Review Schedule and Board Assurances.

Related topics

• Board Responsibilities
• Communicating with Parents and Whānau
• School Records Retention and Disposal
• Health Education
• Before and After School Supervision
• Managing Injuries and Illness

Legislation

• Education and Training Act 2020

Resources

• Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga:
  • Attendance is a shared responsibility 
  • Legal responsibilities and national guidelines for schools on attendance 
  • Attendance and Engagement Strategy 
  • Roll returns (monitoring) 

Release history: Term 2 2024, Term 2 2023, Term 4 2022, Term 2 2019

Back to top