The government’s ‘‘aspirational’’ attendance targets are proving to be a challenge for local schools.
Photo: Supplied / LDR / North Canterbury News
The Ministry of Education says many school absences are ”preventable” and attendance levels need to improve.
Responding to comments from Rangiora High School principal Bruce Kearney, the ministry said illness is ”a legitimate and unavoidable reason for absence”.
But the ministry’s operational standards and support group manager Helen Hurst said while attendance levels had lifted, more work needed to be done.
Kearney recently said most schools would need to boost attendance by at least five percent a year to meet the government’s ”aspirational” target of 80 percent of students attending school 90 percent of the time (regular attendance) by 2030.
It prompted him to ask: ”Do we want kids at school if they are unwell?”
Kearney said the biggest barrier to attendance was illness and schools were bracing themselves for the winter ills in terms two and three.
His concerns were echoed by board of trustees presiding member Simon Green, who said while attendance matters, it is ”only one piece of the puzzle”.
Hurst said while attendance took a hit during winter months due to illness, there were other causes of student absence.
”While illness contributes to many absences, national data and Education Review Office findings show it does not fully explain current attendance levels.
”Many absences are preventable. Improving attendance is a system-wide effort and progress depends on collaboration between schools, whānau, communities, government agencies and health services.”
She said attendance targets were based on ”strong evidence” that regular attendance was critical to students’ learning, wellbeing and long-term outcomes.
”The good news is that regular attendance rates are improving.
”We’ve seen steady increases over the last few years, when each term is compared to the same term the previous year.”
Health New Zealand provided guidance for parents and caregivers on when children should be kept at home and when medical advice should be sought.
LDR is local body journalism co-funded by RNZ and NZ On Air.