Regular school attendance is important for students to achieve their educational potential.  The government target is that 80% of students will be regularly attending school by 2030.

Our school currently has 73% (term 1 2025) 56 % - 64 % Medical  (Term 2 2025) 38%-  81% Medical (term 3 2025) regular attendance and a target of lifting regular attendance to 80% by the end of 2026.

The St Patrick’s Board is responsible for taking all reasonable steps to ensure that the school’s students attend the school when it is open for instruction.

The board will comply with the provisions in the legislation in relation to student attendance by:

• having a commitment to support students return to regular attendance
• having processes and procedures in place to support a Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) to student absence that uses data-based thresholds to identify students
• recording all absences, and responding accordingly
• having an effective method in place for identifying and monitoring student absence, including identifying patterns and barriers to student attendance
• publishing this attendance management plan on the school’s website.

The principal is responsible for:

• developing and implementing a stepped attendance response aligned with the thresholds to support student attendance
• ensure that student absence is investigated, responded too and actions taken recorded aligned with the thresholds
• ensure all students, whanau and staff understand the processes and procedures that support student attendance
• Report to the board on any trends, barriers to attendance and interventions being used to support student attendance.

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Please see Attendance Management Procedure - Stepped Attendance Response below

• ensure students attend every day they are able
• reinforce good attendance habits
• open communication with the school
• follow the school’s attendance management plan and associated attendance policies and procedures.

Insert here any relevant legislation this plan supports

Education and Training Act 2020

Education Attendance rules

Education Attendance Management Plan regulations (yet to be passed)

Reviewed: 20 November 2025

Next review: April 2026

The Principal will appoint staff and delegate duties, to manage the recording of electronic student attendance register and the follow-up procedures for non- attending students.

The Office Manager with duties associated with our attendance system will support teachers to maintain accurate up-to-date attendance information.

Classroom teachers are responsible for recording student attendance to their class each half day basis.

Class teachers are responsible for maintaining accurate and up-to -date records and supporting the attendance systems. They will also monitor and follow-up on lateness and other attendance issues.

Team Leaders of each Whare are responsible for monitoring student attendance for their respective groups, ensuring that parents are informed of attendance concerns.  The Senior Leadership Team including the Principal will be kept informed of serious student absence situations.

Parents will receive student attendance data via weekly parent portal on the HERO app.

Outside agencies will be used as appropriate to support attendance.

Students will be identified at the thresholds.  Follow-up response actions will be tailored to the reasons for absence.

Patterns of attendance and specific interventions being used will be evaluated by the SLT termly, to review outcomes and effectiveness of these interventions

Attached is the Stepped Attendance Response Activities for St Patrick’s School.  Any action taken can be considered at any threshold.  All actions taken to respond to absences will be recorded in HERO – attendance interventions. Attendance will be a weekly item on our Administration Hui minutes and will be discussed weekly, as required with our teaching team.

STAR St Patrick’s Kaiapoi.pdf