Attendance at Murupara Area School

Regular school attendance is vital for our rangatahi to reach their full educational potential. Every day at school builds knowledge, confidence, and strong connections with peers and staff.

Our school is committed to meeting national attendance goals and lifting our regular attendance rates each year. Achieving these targets requires a strong, ongoing partnership between the school, our students, and whānau.

Whānau & School Responsibilities

To ensure our students succeed, we work together:

  • Parents/Whānau: Ensure your children attend school every single day, reinforce positive attendance habits, and maintain open communication with the school.
  • The School: We will clearly communicate attendance expectations, closely monitor daily attendance, provide regular progress updates, and offer supportive steps to help if attendance starts to slip.

Daily Attendance & Lateness Procedures

If Your Child is Absent

If your child is going to be away from school, please notify the school office as early as possible.

  • Daily Follow-Up: To ensure student safety, our administration team uses an electronic tracking system. A text-based reminder will be sent out from 10:00 am for any unexplained absences.
  • Absence Codes: Please provide a clear reason for the absence so we can record it correctly under Ministry of Education guidelines (such as illness/medical reasons or justified family emergencies).

Lateness

Punctuality sets up a student for a successful day.

  • Classroom teachers and learning advisors monitor and follow up on lateness.
  • Late Arrivals: Any student arriving after 8.40 am must come directly to the school office to sign in before heading to class so they can be properly accounted for.

Our Stepped Attendance Response (STAR)

We use a proactive, supportive Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) framework to identify attendance concerns early and offer tailored interventions. Here is what you can expect across a standard 10-week term:

Absence Threshold School Action & Support PDF
Regular Attendance

 

(Less than 5 days absent)

 We closely monitor all absences to ensure accurate coding. Whānau receive regular updates via school notes, pānui, the school website, and our Facebook page.
Emerging Concern

 

(5 to 9 days absent)

 Your child’s Learning Advisor or Classroom Teacher will contact you via email or phone within 2 school days to discuss the impact on learning. We will support your child to catch up on missed schoolwork and can provide access to in-school resources (such as uniform support, bus passes, or health appointments) to remove barriers.
Chronic Absence

 

(10 to 14 days absent)

 School leadership or our Attendance Team will escalate concerns and arrange a collaborative meeting with you and your child. Together, we will create a tailored Collaborative Attendance Support Plan to help get things back on track.
Severe Concern

 

(15+ days absent)

 Senior leadership will promptly coordinate an escalating meeting to build a formal reintegration plan. At this stage, we will also work alongside external services, including the Ministry of Education Attendance Services, to provide a multi-agency support network.

We Are Here to Help!

If you are facing barriers or having issues getting your child to school, please reach out to us early. We want to work with you to find solutions before attendance becomes a major hurdle.

Phone Number:  073665602                   Email:  office@mas.school.nz

Please click here to see our full Murupara Area School Attendance Handbook