Auroa Attendance Procedure
Firstly, please remember to contact the school through the HERO app if your child is absent.
Our Coastal region has an attendance service to help monitor attendance at our schools in the area. We are aware that COVID has put pressure on attendance at schools, but now that we are getting back to normality we need to look at attendance at school more closely.
The Ministry have employed Stephanie McKellar as a Government employed Attendance Coordinator for our area, supported by Toscha Karanga.
The Ministry/Government has set clear guidelines for attendance.
These are:
Regularly (more than 90% of the time, or 9 days a fortnight)
Moderately absent (70% - 90%, or absent 2/3 days a fortnight)
Chronically absent (less than 70% of the time, or missing three or more days a fortnight)
(READING RECOVERY - if your child chronically absent, they will not be eligible for Reading Recovery)
It is important to note that if your child is chronically absent each term over the year, it will mean they would have missed a whole term of school over the entire year.
You can check your current attendance, by year and by term, using the HERO app.
Auroa procedure for attendance - as of T4 2022
Our school will gather data on attendance each term.
If you child shows they are chronically absent (more than 15 days a term), they will be identified by the school. Or if there has been 3 or more Truant absences (when they school hasn’t been notified of reasons or absence) during this time.
If your child has been identified, a letter will be sent home so parents/caregivers are made aware of their child’s level of attendance.
We are aware that if your chid has been absent for sickness, or something similar, it is unlikely for that attendance to continue to be low during the next few weeks.
If there is anything the school can do to help your child attend more regularly, or if there are any concerns you have about why your child isn't attending, please contact the school as soon as possible.
Attendance will continue to be monitored, and if there is no improvement a phone call from the school will be made to help support the child to attend school.
If the child continues to be chronically absent, a referral will be made to the local Attendance Service. They will then contact the family directly.
School Attendance Codes
You will see a breakdown of your child's attendance in the reporting section of the HERO app. Below is an explanation of the codes, and how the main types of absent are recorded.
Justified absences: (j)
Explanation:
Absences that cannot essentially be avoided, and are either of educational or sporting purpose for the child.
School has been notified of student absence.
Examples:
Unplanned absence such as bus breakdown, accident, road closure, extreme weather conditions etc.
Planned absence such as bereavement, visiting ill relatives, visiting another school to change within area, medical/dentist appointments, representative sports competitions, dance/sports competitions/exams etc.
MEDICAL: (M)
Explanation:
Absences due to sickness
School has been notified of student absence.
Examples:
Any kind of sickness that would either impair the student or is contagious to others - such as head lice, chicken pox, stomach bugs etc.
Reminder that students need to stay home for 48 hours after last episode of vomiting as per Ministry of Health guidelines.
EXplained, but un-Justified absences: (E)
Explanation:
Absences as a result of parent choice, and could be avoided or rescheduled during a time school is not open.
School has been notified of student absence.
Examples:
Taking a day off for birthday
visiting relatives
family appointments (not the child's appointment)
late night prior and tired the next day
busy on the farm
keeping sibling at home because other sibling is at home
going to concerts
moving house
slept in
Truant: (t)
Explanation:
School has not been notified of student absence.