Absences

Ngaio School Attendance Management Plan 2026

Rationale

Ngaio School acknowledges that regular school attendance is directly linked to student academic achievement and overall well-being. Regular attendance builds strong learning foundations, positive relationships with the school, teachers, and peers, and helps students establish self-management habits that will assist them in adulthood.

The Attendance Management Plan sits within Ngaio School’s Student Attendance Policy and Attendance Procedures, which outline how the school records and monitors student attendance. This plan elaborates on how the school identifies patterns of absence and takes action in partnership with whānau and support agencies.

Ngaio School Attendance Data & Targets

The following table outlines our attendance percentages from 2025:

2026 Strategic Target:

• An average (across four terms) of 80% of students present for 90% or more of the year.
• This target is set to align directly with the Ministry of Education National Target of 80% of students attending for more than 90% of the term by 2030.

Setting and Reinforcing Attendance Expectations

Attendance expectations are communicated with all families through the following channels:

• Enrolment & Newsletters: Regular attendance (more than 90% of the term/less than 5 days absence) is shared at enrolment and reinforced via termly reminders in the school newsletter.
• Pattern Reporting: Information regarding patterns of absence, such as holidays during term time or frequent lateness, is shared in newsletters when trends are identified.
• HERO: All student attendance is shared and accessible to parents via the HERO platform.

The Stepped Attendance Response (STAR)

0–4 Days: Regular Attendance

• Communicate 90%+ target via newsletters and HERO
• Attendance is monitored, including the reasons for absences

5–9 Days: Early Warning

• Classroom teacher and Senior Leadership discuss individual student
• Follow-up procedure may begin (depending on the reasons behind the absences)

10–14 Days: Moderate Concern

• Phone call or meeting with Team Leader or Deputy Principal (Step 2) .
• Develop an Individual Attendance Plan (IAP) in partnership with whānau (Step 3).

15+ Days: Severe Concern

• Referral to Attendance Services if attendance remains below 80% or no response is received (Step 4) .

Follow-up Procedures

If attendance does not improve through standard monitoring, the following steps are taken:

• Step 1: Initial conversation between the classroom teacher and family to identify barriers and required supports.
• Step 2: If no improvement, a phone call or meeting is held with the Team Leader or Deputy Principal to discuss further supports.
• Step 3: School Leadership invites whānau to develop an Individual Attendance Plan (IAP), which may involve external agencies. A review date is set.
• Step 4: If there is no response or attendance remains below 80% for a subsequent term, the student is referred to Attendance Services. A record of the service response is kept on file.

Identifying Patterns of Absence & Following Up

The Leadership Team conducts a termly analysis of the “Every Day Matters” attendance report to identify concerns. An anonymized version of this analysis is shared at the first Board meeting of the following term.

Analysis Process

1. Weekly Monitoring: The attendance analysis on HERO is reviewed weekly. Any children flagged with unexplained absences are addressed.
2. Tiered Oversight: Classroom teachers alert Team Leaders to recurring patterns, which are then tracked at a leadership level.
3. Documentation: Comments are added to HERO regarding reasons for absence, gathered from notifications or conversations with the teacher and office staff.

Monitoring and Progress

Ngaio School will review this Attendance Management Plan in line with the SchoolDocs review schedule. Assurances will be made to the Board through termly reporting of the “Every Day Matters” data and summaries of follow-up actions taken with families