2026 attendance management plan (AMP) 

Everyday matters termly reports 2024-2025

 Attendance & sickness - whānau/families

Health guidance by Te Whatu Ora │ Health New Zealand is available to help schools and parents to decide if a student is well enough to attend school.

Knowing if a child is well enough to be at school – Te Whatu Ora

legal requirements for school attendance

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.

Failure to do so can result to the school or us taking legal action, including prosecution under Sections 243 and 244 of the Education and Training Act 2020.

Education and Training Act 2020 Public Act 243 Offence relating to failure to enrol – New Zealand Legislation

Education and Training Act 2020 Public Act 244 Offence relating to irregular attendance – New Zealand Legislation

 Attendance requirements - kura/school

Attendance Procedure - updated 2025 (for staff)

Schooldocs Policy - Attendance Procedure - review due Term 1, 2026 

Schooldocs Policy - Student Attendance - review due Term 1, 2026

Attendance Codes - updated 2023

No child left behind

School leadership, boards, parents and the Ministry of Education all play key roles in supporting students to attend school – and addressing absence when it occurs. Lifting school attendance is our shared responsibility.

The STAR has been developed in line with the good practice identified in Education Review Office (ERO) evaluations and school indicators.

We know that school leadership, board stewardship, quality teaching, and educationally powerful connections will influence positive school attendance.

This year the Ministry of Education will work closely with schools to develop and implement attendance management plans.

Plans will use the STAR and be tailored to meet the needs of each school community. Regulations relating to these plans will be progressed this year to come into effect for the start of Term 1 2026.

The STAR will continue to be improved as we learn from schools about what works best.

stepped response attendance plan