Have Your Say On The Inquiry Into School Attendance

Parliament’s Education and Workforce Committee has opened an inquiry into school attendance, and is calling for submissions from the public.

Amongst other things, the inquiry will likely look into the long-term trends in attendance, what attendance is like overseas, how the Attendance Service works, and what can be done to improve attendance and engagement. The committee is looking forward to learning more about school attendance and hopes to find some practical answers that will help improve attendance rates.

You can read the inquiry’s full terms of reference, and make a submission, here.

Marja Lubeck the chair of the committee said: “I’m looking forward to this investigation and I’m pleased the committee has taken the opportunity to open an inquiry about this important topic”.

School attendance is considered a critical driver of educational outcomes. Students learn best when they are able to attend school regularly and benefit from the expertise of teachers and other professionals.

Attendance is also an important measure of student engagement, although there are important aspects of student engagement that attendance figures do not capture.

Attendance has been dropping across New Zealand. The rates of stand-downs, suspensions, exclusions, and expulsions, at a school level and at a system level, also help provide indications of where engagement in productive learning may be absent and behavioural issues may be present.Tell the Education and Workforce Committee what you think

Make a submission on the inquiry by midnight on 31 August 2021For more details about the bill:

· Follow the committee’s Facebook page for updates