Attendance Management and Procedures

Regular attendance rates have declined in New Zealand over the last decade. The Government has made it a priority to lift attendance in schools with the goal of 80% of students attending 90% of the time by 2030. Lifting school attendance will allow all learners opportunities to learn and to connect with others, setting the foundation for future success.

At Waiheke High School, we have a systematic approach to how teachers, whānau teachers, Deans and SLT will work together to identify and address students who have attendance concerns.

Attendance Matters

The Education Review Office (ERO) has conducted extensive research on this topic, and the findings are clear:

Attendance affects achievement: The evidence shows that attendance is directly related to how well learners achieve. The more learners attend, the higher their achievement, and the more NCEA credits they gain (ERO)

No safe level of absence: There is no safe level of non‑attendance. Even missing just two days a term is linked to lower achievement (ERO)

Impact on wellbeing: More frequent non‑attendance is associated with worsened wellbeing outcomes, including schoolwork-related anxiety, decreased sense of belonging, fewer friendships with peers, exposure to bullying, and feeling like teachers are being unfair (ERO)

Lost learning: Every day a student misses means lost opportunities to learn. This can create gaps in their knowledge that are difficult to fill.

Social and emotional development: School is not just about academics. It’s also where students develop social skills, build relationships, and learn to be part of a community.

Long-term outcomes: Good attendance is linked to positive outcomes like better health, higher incomes, and greater job stability. (Ministry of Education)

Raising attendance is a whole school partnership between staff, students, and parents. All classroom teachers, whānau teachers, Deans and Senior Leaders have specific roles in raising attendance at Waiheke High School.

The following staff members have specific roles for attendance at Waiheke High School:

 

Name	Responsibility
School Board	Oversight of AMP
Cameron Flude (FLU)	Principal. Oversight of AMP
Rebecca Cunningham-Rose (ROS)	DP with responsibility for attendance
Jane Scorey (SCO)	Student Engagement Liaison Targeted support for 80-90% attendance
Dolly Elliott (ELL)	Administrative updates in KAMAR
Deans	Targeted support (below 80% attendance)
Senior Lead Team	Supports Deans to target specific below 80%)
Classroom Teachers	Record accurate attendance in a timely manner
Whānau Teachers	Monitor attendance and ensure accurate records are maintained.. Follow up on question marks. Contact home/teacher and amend any question marks.

How do I report my student absent, late, or on leave for an event?

Please call 09 371 9000 ext. 1 before 8:45am to leave a message for our staff. Please include your name, the student’s name, and the reason for the absence.

Under the Education Act, school attendance is compulsory unless the student is unable to attend due to illness, medical appointments, or sudden or serious illness of a close family member. Any other reasons will be noted but may not be justified as a valid reason for absence.

Regular Attendance Tracking

Tracking is divided into two areas, although there will be natural overlap and clear communication across the two levels. ROS will provide data to the Deans and Student Liaison Officer on the Monday of the fortnightly Deans/SLT meeting.

Attendance Codes

There are 15 attendance codes used to record attendance. More information about codes and the descriptions can be found here on education.govt.nz >>

Sign in and sign out

Students are no longer required to sign in or out at reception. Parents may sign out their students upon pick-up. Teachers will update attendance in KAMAR for late arrivals upon the student’s arrival to class.

Truancy and Punctuality

Expectations for Staff and Students

Classroom Teacher

1. Classroom teachers are expected to complete their daily rolls accurately and in a timely manner, within the first 10 minutes of a class.
2. When a student is missing, mark the student as ? and this will be followed up by the whānau teacher. Focus on your class and the lesson at hand.
3. When a student is 5 minutes late or more (including 55 minutes into a lesson), they must be marked L. This attendance should be amended during the lesson.
4. An email notification will be sent to teachers when the roll has not been completed.
5. HOF’s and SLT in charge of attendance will follow up on teachers who have incomplete rolls, or those who are not completing rolls on time.
6. The teacher should put consequences in place for the student to catch up on the missed work due to lateness. E.g. lunchtime or interval catch up time.

Whānau Teacher Procedure

1. Whānau teachers are notified via email when students in their whānau class have been marked as either ? or T on the daily roll. They must address this with students in a timely manner, ideally the next day. This involves seeking explanation for absence from both the student and from whānau or caregiver and changing the code directly in Kamar.
2. Where a student has missed more than one class (for truancy or lateness) in a two week period, whānau teacher must call home (an email will not suffice).
3. If a student missed more than three classes (for truancy or lateness) in two weeks, the whānau teacher and Dean should meet with parents together.

Dean and SLT Procedure

1. Deans are expected to keep a regular oversight of the whānau class attendance and will actively challenge whānau teachers to keep whānau class attendance up to date. Attendance will be tracked and discussed in every motu meeting.
2. SLT and Deans receive a list of 15 students each week who have the poorest attendance in their house. SLT and Deans must discuss intervention strategies for the worst attendees. This includes phone calls home to parents and parent meetings.
3. All students who fall under 80% will be referred to Jane Scorey for follow up.
4. Students who have chronic absence will be referred to A.C.E.S (Auckland City Education Service) or other outside agencies. SLT will send a notification explaining that the student has been referred to A.C.E.S.

Student Procedure

1. Students are expected to take responsibility for their own attendance. E.g. If they think the entry is incorrect, they should address the teacher directly.
2. Students will receive an email notification when they have been entered as ? or T in our Student Management System. They must either bring notification from home as to why they were absent or have home notify the school.

Caregiver Expectation

1. Parents, whānau and caregivers are expected to notify the school, in advance where possible, when a student will be absent. This can be via School Apps, email or phone call.
2. Parents, whānau and caregivers are able to check student attendance at any time using the Waiheke High School Parent Portal.

 

How do I report my student absent, late, or on leave for an event?

Please call 09 371 9000 ext. 1 before 8:45am to leave a message for our staff. Please include your name, the student’s name, and the reason for the absence.

Under the Education Act, school attendance is compulsory unless the student is unable to attend due to illness, medical appointments, or sudden or serious illness of a close family member. Any other reasons will be noted but may not be justified as a valid reason for absence.

Regular Attendance Tracking

Tracking is divided into two areas, although there will be natural overlap and clear communication across the two levels. ROS will provide data to the Deans and Student Liaison Officer on the Monday of the fortnightly Deans/SLT meeting.

Attendance Codes

There are 15 attendance codes used to record attendance. More information about codes and the descriptions can be found here on education.govt.nz >>

Sign in and sign out

Students are no longer required to sign in or out at reception. Parents may sign out their students upon pick-up. Teachers will update attendance in KAMAR for late arrivals upon the student’s arrival to class.

Expectations for Staff and Students

Classroom Teacher

1. Classroom teachers are expected to complete their daily rolls accurately and in a timely manner, within the first 10 minutes of a class.
2. When a student is missing, mark the student as ? and this will be followed up by the whānau teacher. Focus on your class and the lesson at hand.
3. When a student is 5 minutes late or more (including 55 minutes into a lesson), they must be marked L. This attendance should be amended during the lesson.
4. An email notification will be sent to teachers when the roll has not been completed.
5. HOF’s and SLT in charge of attendance will follow up on teachers who have incomplete rolls, or those who are not completing rolls on time.
6. The teacher should put consequences in place for the student to catch up on the missed work due to lateness. E.g. lunchtime or interval catch up time.

Whānau Teacher Procedure

1. Whānau teachers are notified via email when students in their whānau class have been marked as either ? or T on the daily roll. They must address this with students in a timely manner, ideally the next day. This involves seeking explanation for absence from both the student and from whānau or caregiver and changing the code directly in Kamar.
2. Where a student has missed more than one class (for truancy or lateness) in a two week period, whānau teacher must call home (an email will not suffice).
3. If a student missed more than three classes (for truancy or lateness) in two weeks, the whānau teacher and Dean should meet with parents together.

Dean and SLT Procedure

1. Deans are expected to keep a regular oversight of the whānau class attendance and will actively challenge whānau teachers to keep whānau class attendance up to date. Attendance will be tracked and discussed in every motu meeting.
2. SLT and Deans receive a list of 15 students each week who have the poorest attendance in their house. SLT and Deans must discuss intervention strategies for the worst attendees. This includes phone calls home to parents and parent meetings.
3. All students who fall under 80% will be referred to Jane Scorey for follow up.
4. Students who have chronic absence will be referred to A.C.E.S (Auckland City Education Service) or other outside agencies. SLT will send a notification explaining that the student has been referred to A.C.E.S.

Student Procedure

1. Students are expected to take responsibility for their own attendance. E.g. If they think the entry is incorrect, they should address the teacher directly.
2. Students will receive an email notification when they have been entered as ? or T in our Student Management System. They must either bring notification from home as to why they were absent or have home notify the school.

Caregiver Expectation

1. Parents, whānau and caregivers are expected to notify the school, in advance where possible, when a student will be absent. This can be via School Apps, email or phone call.
2. Parents, whānau and caregivers are able to check student attendance at any time using the Waiheke High School Parent Portal.