Regular attendance at school is important for your child’s success. There is a very clear connection between attendance and achievement. If your child is away for a competition please read below on what we require from you.
Making sure students attend and engage in learning is a shared responsibility. As a parent you are responsible for making sure your child attends school everyday.
We know, last year, 98.8 percent of students sitting NCEA, who attended 90% of the time, passed. We just need students to be here. Showing up everyday will get them the qualifications that they need to set them up later in life.
If your child is going to be absent for any reason it is essential that you let us know as soon as possible. It is important that you phone/text or email us to confirm your child’s absence and provide us with the reason.
We acknowledge that there are genuine reasons students may occasionally be absent. However, without regular attendance your child will struggle to make progress. If your child is absent regularly, or for extended periods, we will reach out to you to discuss the situation.
We are committed to supporting your child to attend school. If you have difficulty getting your child to school, you can ask for support by emailing your child’s form teacher or dean. We can work with you to develop a support plan that addresses any barriers to regular attendance.
Absentee Procedures for Burnside High School
Regular attendance is considered having less than five days absent per term. If your child is going to be absent or late please notify the school office in one of the following ways:
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Text: 022 043 6951
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Phone: 3588383, extension 1
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Email: absences@burnside.school.nz
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Notes: Bring a note from home and give to the student office
When reporting an absence, kindly provide the following information
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Your name
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Child’s name and student number
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A complete reason for their absence (e.g dentist appointment)
Justified absences include:
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Illness/Medical absence
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Explained and approved (where the reason meets our school policy for a justified absence) Examples: Tangi, funeral, doctors, dentist
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Stood down or suspended
Unjustified absences include:
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Explained but not approved (where the reasons does not meet our school policy for a justified absence) Examples: birthday, tired, running late, hair cut
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Holiday during term time
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Truant
Absence due to competitions
If your teenager is competing in a competition and will not be at school, we are obliged to mark the students attendance as explained, but unjustified. The only way to ensure that this becomes a justified absence is to submit a letter of support from their coach or manager. Deans will need to see this paperwork before they can update the attendance coding. Thank you for your understanding of this change that is due to the Ministry of Education updated process.
If you are worried about your child’s attendance please talk with your dean so we can help.
We’d encourage you to look at the table attached and the connection between attendance and achievement.
