Attendance in 2026

Attendance continues to be a top priority for the government, which has set a target of 80% of students attending school for more than 90% of the year by 2030. To achieve this, schools need to aspire to reach an average daily attendance rate above 94%.

What you need to know:

• You will start receiving weekly emails with your child’s attendance from week 4. This also includes medical and justified attendance as well as any lates to school or class and unjustified patterns of attendance.

To date, we have 55 students across the Campus who have already clocked more than 5 days absent this term – this is by the end of Week 3! 5 days or more in a term drops your child’s attendance to below 90%.

The MOE requires us to contact you automatically to let you know when your child has been absent for 5, 10 and 15 days or more in a term. At 10-15 days or more we are required to put an attendance plan in place that is agreed to by the student, the whānau and the school. This will require an in-school meeting with your child’s Head of House. At 15 days or more a referral will be made to the MOE Attendance Service.

What we are doing to support attendance:

• Both Springs and Waiōrea have Attendance officers in place for 2026.
• You will receive a text message period 1 if your child is absent from school.
• If they are still absent during period 2 and it is unexplained you will receive communication from the relevant Attendance Officer ( text/ email/ phone call/ home visit).
• Heads of House will also follow up on attendance.
• Chronic attendance concerns do require a referral to the Ministry Of Education Attendance Service.

An important part of attendance is arriving at school on time: the message is simple!

1. This school starts later than any other school in Auckland…and still you arrive late!
2. Arriving late and drifting into class late disrupts the learning of other students.
3. Arriving late is disruptive to your teachers who prepare lessons for you and have to double back to get you up to speed because of your late arrival.
4. 3 x late in a single week does result in a lunchtime detention or school service.

So what can you do to support your child and the the school:

• Make sure you phone or email in any absences or appointments for your child.
• Ensure your child is at school before 8.50am when our first warning bell rings in the morning for both Springs and Waiōrea.
• Period 1 starts at 9.00 am and students should be in class and prepared for lessons to start by then, hence our 8.50 am warning bell.
• Remind your child that if they arrive after the 9.00am bell, leave before the final bell or any time in between, they must sign in and out. Even if you have sent a message to school about the absence.

Attendance Links:

Ministry of Education – Attendance Code Guidance

Ministry of Education – Attendance FAQs

Reintroducing Jordan Leota: Springs Attendance Officer

Jordan is local to the area – he attended MAGS and the University of Auckland. Jordan has a Masters in Architecture and is also training to be a Technology teacher this year. We are very lucky to have Jordan as part of our Attendance team again this year.

Reintroducing Keri Gardner: Pouhono Kura (attendance monitor)

Whāea Keri is a familiar face to our Waiōrea ākonga and their whānau. She has been an instrumental part of our Rūmaki communities for over 20 years, establishing strong and lasting relationships. Whāea Keri plays a key role in both Learning Support and the Attendance Team. With her caring nature and firm expectations, she is the perfect fit for this role, and we are fortunate to have her on our team again in 2026.