Being at school and on time opens doors to lots of learning opportunities, helps children build strong friendships, and supports social and emotional growth. To keep our whole school community healthy, it’s important children stay home and rest if they are feeling unwell. We encourage children to be here and involved every day to make the most of all that school offers!

At Dunsandel School, we have clear procedures for recording and monitoring attendance. We work to identify and follow up on any attendance concerns.

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Schools

Schools are required to:

  • enrol eligible students
  • take all reasonable steps to make sure students attend when the school is open
  • keep an attendance record for each enrolled student
  • have an absence notification process
  • use an approved electronic attendance register and Ministry-approved attendance codes to record attendance.

Parents and legal guardians are required to:

  • enrol their child at a registered school when they turn 6 years old
  • make sure their child (including enrolled 5-year-olds) attends school every day the school is open until they are at least 16 years old.

Attendance is a shared responsibility Today’s learners are tomorrow’s leaders.

Attendance is the first step to learning. Students aged 6-16 years old are legally required to attend school every day. It’s everyone’s responsibility to make sure children and young people attend so they can engage and achieve in their learning. Schools are expected to have their own attendance policies and procedures, and they must record and report on attendance. This includes a responsibility to take reasonable steps to make sure enrolled students attend whenever the school is open. This means if a student who is expected at school has not turned up then the school must notify a parent/caregiver in a timely manner so they can act accordingly.

Absences

It is expected that parents will make every endeavour to have children at school before classes begin. Children need time to prepare their belongings first thing in the morning and this should be kept in mind.  If your child is to be absent from school, please ring the school office or use the school app service before 8:55am so the school is aware of your child’s whereabouts.

All Absences are marked electronically at the start of the day – if your child arrives late to school they must go through the office and let Mrs Pluck know they have arrived.

We are required to submit daily attendance information to the Ministry of Education.

For safety reasons, you will be contacted by the school if we are unsure of the whereabouts of your child.

Classification of absences – justified and unjustified 

  • Absences can be either ‘justified’ or ‘unjustified’ regardless of if they have been explained. We have to abide by the Ministry of Education classifications of absence. 
  • Justified absence includes illness/injury preventing attendance, a significant event preventing attendance, bereavement, visiting a seriously ill relative, attendance at a citizenship or graduation ceremony, or other exceptional family circumstances.
  • Unjustified absence includes holidays in term time or other absences that are explained but not allowed under the Ministry of Education guidelines. If the leave request extends a school term holiday, then it is generally unjustified.
  • Sometimes it is hard to be definitive as families may combine both unjustified and justified reasons into one event, e.g. a wedding held during a school holiday to justify leaving early; this is likely to be classified as a holiday in term time, and therefore as unjustified.
  • Note that all absences from class count as absences regardless of whether they are justified or unjustified, so all absences affect the attendance rate in the same way. Truancy is based on unexplained and/or unjustified absences only.

The Importance of Arriving on Time to School

Getting to school on time sets students up for a positive and productive day of learning. Punctuality helps your child begin the day calmly and confidently, ready to engage in lessons and connect with their peers and teachers. When children arrive late, they often feel rushed and may miss out on key instructions, valuable activities, and the chance to ease into their school day.

We do have some children arriving after the start of the school day. We kindly ask for your support in ensuring your child arrives on time. It helps them settle in and prepare for a successful day ahead. It also removes the distraction it causes to the class, the teacher and the other children who have started the day.