Lifting School Attendance Requires Whole-of-community Effort

Raising school attendance rates requires a combined effort by schools, parents, caregivers, whānau and local government agencies, says Kate Gainsford, Chair of the Secondary Principals’ Council.

Commenting on the Term 4 school attendance results, released today by the Ministry of Education, Kate Gainsford says the results are concerning but not unexpected after three years of upheaval.

“School attendance rates were dropping before COVID but the pandemic has exacerbated the situation, with coordination between these groups being tested, young people leaving school early to work to support families and caregivers who lost their jobs and many having to stay home to look after younger members of the family isolating, or choosing not to attend school because of worries about COVID.

“Add to that the numbers of students who missed out on the ordinary support of contact with wider whānau and who experienced delays and gaps in health and mental health services when anxieties or mental health issues emerged from negative lockdown experiences.

There are very serious ramifications for the future of our society. Schools often find themselves as the main place where young people and their families access extra support to grow resilience to deal with unexpected challenges in life. This is an issue that communities need to work together to address.

Schools cannot do this on their own.”

Kate Gainsford said the Government’s recent initiatives such as the engagement strategy and the funding of more school attendance officers would certainly help but would take time to make a difference.

“The reasons children and young people stop attending school are complex and varied – there is no one size fits all. Schools know their communities and what works for them. They work closely at whānau level to raise attendance on a case by case basis.

“The one thing we can all agree on is that education opens up a world of opportunities for young people and has a huge influence on the quality of people’s lives. Every young person in New Zealand deserves a quality school education. Communities must work together to turn this situation around.”

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