Dear HNHS families,
Regular school attendance is essential to ensure your child has the best chance of success in education. There is a well-established connection between attendance rates and outcomes such as academic achievement, enjoyment and school engagement through to year 13.
Making sure students attend and engage in learning is a shared responsibility but parents have the primary responsibility for making sure their children attend school every day.
The Ministry of Education defines regular attendance as being present in class (or on school related activities e.g. field trips) for more than 90% of the time during a school term. This benchmark equates to missing no more than five days, or roughly one day per fortnight, across a 10-week term.
If your child is going to be absent for any reason it is essential that you let us know as soon as possible by:
- ringing the school (06 877 8129 ext 1) to explain why your child is absent and how long they will be away from school.
- writing a note or emailing absentee@hnhs.school.nz to explain your child’s absence when they return to school.
- keeping us informed if your child’s illness continues for longer than two days
We acknowledge that there are genuine reasons why students may occasionally be absent from school. It is however important that parents and caregivers consider carefully any occasion when they are excusing an absence from school.
Family holidays and other unjustified absence during term time is disruptive to learning. These absences are not condoned and as such there is no obligation for teachers to provide additional work or support.
The following summary of the Ministry of Education attendance codes may help to provide some clarity for families.
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