Attendance Management Plan

Overarching Attendance Objectives and Strategic Priorities

Rationale for prioritising attendance (e.g. its link to student welfare and achievement)

At Wesley Primary School, we recognise the fundamental importance of regular and consistent attendance as the basis for supporting student success, fostering positive wellbeing, and enabling every child to achieve their full educational potential.

Consistent attendance is directly and significantly linked to key outcomes in the primary school environment:

• Student Engagement and Curriculum Access: Regular presence ensures students benefit from the full, sequential primary curriculum, are engaged in daily learning activities, and build the foundational skills necessary for future learning.

• Academic Success: Maximising instructional time improves student achievement, literacy, and numeracy outcomes, helping our tamariki meet and exceed expected levels.

• Social and Emotional Development: Being present allows students to build strong peer relationships, develop essential social skills, and feel connected to the Wesley Primary School community.

• Preparedness for the Future: Establishing excellent attendance habits from a young age prepares students for successful transitions through all stages of their education and into adulthood.

We believe that high attendance is a shared responsibility between the school, students, and their parents/whānau, and it is crucial for a positive and supportive learning environment.

Links to or copies of existing strategic documents

This Attendance Management Plan aligns with and supports our school's Strategic Plan and Annual Implementation Plan, where attendance targets and goals are clearly defined.

A summary of your school’s current attendance data.

Folder to EM reports

Our current ‘regular’ attendance rate (attending more than 90% of the time) for Term 1 & 2, 2025, was 51% and 54% of students respectively. Our average attendance (including regular, irregular, moderate and chronic attendance) was 87% and 85% of students for Terms 1 and 2. We aim to improve the ‘regular’ and average attendance by 5% in both Term 1 and Term 2 in 2026.

Clear definition of success (e.g. targets or goals from your strategic or annual implementation plans).

In line with the government's target of 80% of students regularly attending school by 2030, Wesley Primary School has a target of 60% Regular attendance by Term 1, 2026 and 65% by Term 1, 2027. This target is included in our school’s 2026 Annual Implementation Plan.

Attendance policy

Key Legal Obligations under the Education and Training Act 2020 

As required by the Education and Training Act 2020: 

• Compulsory Enrolment and Regular Attendance (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. 

• Board Responsibilities (s 36): The board takes all reasonable steps to ensure all students enrolled at Parua Bay School attend school when it is open. 

• Parent/Guardian Obligations (s 244): Parents and guardians have legal obligations to ensure their children attend school.

Expectations of parents, students, and staff in relation to student absence.

Parents/Guardians: 

• Notify the school as soon as possible (before or during the school day) if their child is going to be late or absent. 

• Provide a reason for absence no later than the end of the school day. 

• Arrange appointments and trips outside school hours or during school holidays where possible. 

• Arrange family holidays during school holidays, not during the school’s term dates. 

• Work collaboratively with the school to manage attendance concerns. 

• May ask for their child to be excused from certain areas of the curriculum for religious or cultural reasons; the principal will review these requests. 

• Sign your child out, at the office, if leaving school during school hours.

Students: 

• Be present at school every day. 

• Arrive at school on or before 8:45am.

Class Teacher: 

• Record attendance accurately using Ministry of Education attendance codes. 

• Remind students of attendance expectations. 

• Contact parents (phone, email, in person) if a student is absent for 2 consecutive days, or a pattern of absence is emerging, e.g. every Monday or Friday. 

• Report any attendance concerns to the Senior Leadership Team (SLT - Assistant Principals and Principal) 

• Follow procedures for Managing Injuries and Illness if a student is ill or injured and needs to leave school, e.g. via the School Office Administrator.

Attendance management procedures

Setting and Reinforcing Attendance Expectations 

Wesley Primary School shares attendance expectations with students and their parents/guardians and caregivers through: 

• School enrollment packs. 

• School newsletters and website. 

• Parent-teacher interviews and school events. 

• Direct communication from staff. 

Process for Recording Attendance (Timing and Storage) 

• Recording: We record attendance accurately each day using Ministry of Education attendance codes (present, justified absent, unjustified absent). 

• Responsibility: Classroom teachers, learning support staff, and office staff work together to ensure attendance is recorded correctly. Relievers, itinerant teachers, and specialist teachers provide attendance information as necessary to the relevant teacher, or directly to the school office. 

• Monitoring: The school office receives attendance information from classroom teachers and/or relievers, itinerant, or specialist teachers, and is responsible for checking and updating attendance information (e.g., due to students arriving late or going home early). 

• Storage: We keep our attendance registers for seven years from the date of last entry. 

• Reporting: The school provides attendance data to the Ministry of Education each day, as required by the Education and Training Act 2020 and Education (School Attendance) Regulations 2024.

Steps for Following Up on Unexplained Absences 

Wesley Primary School takes all reasonable steps to ensure students attend school while it is open, including following up unexplained absences. 

Initial Contact: If no explanation is provided for student absence, Parua Bay School will contact parents/caregivers directly as soon as possible (before or during the school day). 

Unexplained Absences: If a student does not arrive at school or goes missing during the day (including from an EOTC event), we check for errors in attendance recording. If necessary, we follow up with parents/guardians and/or emergency contacts. We may also follow our Missing Student Procedure. 

Reason for Absence: A reason for absence must be provided no later than the end of the school day.

Monitoring Practices 

• Identifying Barriers and Patterns of Concern: We monitor absence patterns using our student management system and notify parents/caregivers of any concerns. Staff are encouraged to report any attendance concerns to the principal. 

• Thresholds: Our school uses the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) to guide when and how we respond to absences:

Involving Other Agencies: We may refer students with extended or persistent absences to Attendance services. Under the Education and Training Act (s 48), the board may appoint an attendance officer who has authority to follow up absences with students and their parents/caregivers directly.  

Supporting Students Returning to School 

When students return to school after an absence, we aim to support their successful reintegration: 

• Strategies for Loss of Learning: 

  • Individualised check-ins with teachers to identify learning gaps. 

  • Provision of catch-up work or differentiated instruction. 

  • Access to learning support resources or programmes as needed. 

• Strategies for Reintegrating into Wider School Environment and Friendships: 

  • Peer support systems or buddy programmes. 

  • Teacher and staff check-ins to monitor social well-being. 

  • Encouragement to participate in school activities. 

• Supporting Student Participation in School-Based Activities: 

  • Ensuring students are aware of upcoming events and opportunities. 

  • Facilitating their involvement in extracurricular activities. 

• Keeping Parents Informed: We will continue to keep parents informed about the progress the student is making to reintegrate back into school through regular communication channels.

Monitoring and measuring progress

Reviewing and Adjusting Procedures, Policy, or Plan 

• Scheduled Reviews: This Attendance Management Plan will be formally reviewed [Insert Review Frequency, e.g., annually, biennially] by the school board and leadership team to ensure its effectiveness and alignment with current regulations and best practices. 

• Responsive Adjustments: The plan will be adjusted in response to changes in legislation, Ministry of Education guidance, school-specific attendance data trends, or identified areas for improvement. Monitoring Procedures and Effectiveness of Responses 

• Monitoring Procedures: We monitor that procedures are being followed through: 

  • Regular checks of attendance recording accuracy by office staff. 

  • Discussion and feedback from classroom teachers and other staff. 

  • Internal audits of attendance data and follow-up actions. 

• Monitoring Effectiveness of Responses: We monitor the effectiveness of responses to absences by: 

  • Analysing attendance data for patterns of improvement or persistent concerns. 

  • Gathering feedback from parents, students, and staff regarding the impact of interventions. 

  • Reviewing the outcomes of referrals to external agencies. 

School Leadership Reporting and Assurance to the Board 

The principal assures the board that student absences are correctly recorded, monitored, and followed up. School leadership will report to and give assurance to the Board on attendance management through: 

• Regular reports on attendance data, trends, and the effectiveness of the plan. 

• Discussion of any significant attendance challenges and proposed solutions. 

• Review of compliance with legal obligations and Ministry of Education requirements.

Links to Related Policies - see Wesley Primary School -  ‘School Docs’

• Board Responsibilities 

• Student Management 

• Communicating with Parents and Whānau 

• Health Education 

• Managing Injuries and Illness 

• Missing Student Procedure 

• School Records Retention and Disposal

Related Legislation and Resources: 

• Education and Training Act 2020 

• Education (School Attendance) Regulations 2024 

• Ministry of Education | Te Tāhuhu o te Mātauranga: 

  • Student attendance guide (including Quick Reference Guide link) 

  • Daily attendance reporting 

  • Stepped attendance response – STAR