At Koru School, we recognise that regular attendance plays an important role in supporting children’s learning and wellbeing. The Ministry of Education has set a national goal for 80% of students to attend school at least 90% of the time, and the following plan outlines how we work together as a school community to support this goal.

Purpose

We believe regular attendance is critical to student wellbeing and achievement.  Our school promotes a culture where attendance is valued, monitored, and supported through strong relationships, clear communication, and proactive interventions.

Identification Process

• Daily electronic roll checks are completed by kaiako before 9am and 1.40pm.

• Koru School uses the New Zealand Ministry of Education attendance codes. These codes help us record absences accurately and consistently

• Unexplained absences are followed up with a text or phone call home the same day.

• Patterns of irregular attendance are flagged weekly through daily monitoring of class rolls by our Deputy Principal. and SMS reporting by the Admin Attendance Officer.

Response Process

• Connection with pastoral and learning support teams

• Individualised attendance improvement plans

• Engagement with external support providers where appropriate

• Culturally responsive approaches to whānau engagement

• Positive reinforcement through incentives such as:

• Certificates or shout-outs in assemblies for improved or consistent attendance

• Each students attandence is reflected againts the Stepped Attendance Response - STAR diagramme below, in the two written reports to parents each year

Review and Monitoring

• Like all schools in Aotearoa, our attendance data is automatically shared with the Ministry of Education each day. This allows the ministry to monitor overall attendance patterns, including lateness.

• At the end of each term, the principal receives an attendance report that shows patterns and reasons for student absences using the attendance codes. This information is shared with the school board each term.

• Our office team, deputy principal, and principal receive automatic notifications when students reach specific attendance thresholds during the term (5–9 days, 10–14 days, and 15 or more days of absence). These alerts help us identify when extra support or communication may be helpful.

• The school board has approved the Koru School Attendance Management Plan..

• The Attendance Management Plan is reviewed annually by the board or in accordance with any updated regulations

• Attendance data is monitored daily

• Feedback gathered from staff, students, and whānau is used to inform updates

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