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Going to school is critical for our childrenâs futures. The evidence is clear that every day of school matters â missing school leads to lower achievement. In Aotearoa New Zealand, learners are expected to attend school every day the school is open, yet many donât. We have lower attendance than other countries and, alarmingly, attendance is falling.
Last year we published a report on why learners miss school â Missing Out: Why Arenât Our Children Going to School?. This report sets out the biggest drivers of school attendance and what families and schools can do to help.
Going to school is critical for our childrenâs futures. The evidence is clear that every day of school matters â missing school leads to lower achievement. In Aotearoa New Zealand, learners are expected to attend school every day the school is open, yet many donât. We have lower attendance than other countries and, alarmingly, attendance is falling.
Last year we published a report on why learners miss school â Missing Out: Why Arenât Our Children Going to School?. This report sets out the biggest drivers of school attendance and what families and schools can do to help.
Attendance is when learners are at school and in the class they are supposed to be in. If learners miss a week or more of school in a term they have ânon-regular attendanceâ. Learners who miss a week each term will have missed out on a year of schooling by the time they are 16.
Attendance is when learners are at school and in the class they are supposed to be in. If learners miss a week or more of school in a term they have ânon-regular attendanceâ. Learners who miss a week each term will have missed out on a year of schooling by the time they are 16.
Aotearoa New Zealand has consistently had lower attendance than other countries. The Covid-19 pandemic has further reduced attendance.
Figure 1: International comparison of regular attendance
Figure one is a graph comparing the regular attendance rates for New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Regular attendance is defined as attending more than ninety percent of the time.
The regular attendance rate for New Zealand was forty percent in 2022.
The rate for Australia was fifty percent in 2022.
The rate for United Kingdom was eighty seven percent in 2022/2021.
Source: Ministry of Education; Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
The rate of regular attendance continues to fall. Between 2015 and 2019, there was a 12 percentage point drop in the rate of regular attendance. By 2022, the rate of regular attendance reached 40 percent, a further 18 percentage point fall from 2019.  In 2022, attendance was impacted by high Covid-â19 case numbers but the longer-term trend is clear. All NZ figures show the percentage of learners who attended school more than 90 percent of the time in Term 2 of the respective years.
Declining attendance is seen across all school types and for all ethnicities. The drop has been steepest in low decile schools, and for MÄori and Pacific learners.
Figure 2: Percentage of learners regularly attending in 2015, 2019, and 2022
Source: Ministry of Education
Aotearoa New Zealand has consistently had lower attendance than other countries. The Covid-19 pandemic has further reduced attendance.
Figure 1: International comparison of regular attendance
Figure one is a graph comparing the regular attendance rates for New Zealand, Australia and the United Kingdom. Regular attendance is defined as attending more than ninety percent of the time.
The regular attendance rate for New Zealand was forty percent in 2022.
The rate for Australia was fifty percent in 2022.
The rate for United Kingdom was eighty seven percent in 2022/2021.
Source: Ministry of Education; Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority.
The rate of regular attendance continues to fall. Between 2015 and 2019, there was a 12 percentage point drop in the rate of regular attendance. By 2022, the rate of regular attendance reached 40 percent, a further 18 percentage point fall from 2019.  In 2022, attendance was impacted by high Covid-â19 case numbers but the longer-term trend is clear. All NZ figures show the percentage of learners who attended school more than 90 percent of the time in Term 2 of the respective years.
Declining attendance is seen across all school types and for all ethnicities. The drop has been steepest in low decile schools, and for MÄori and Pacific learners.
Figure 2: Percentage of learners regularly attending in 2015, 2019, and 2022
Source: Ministry of Education
We know that learnersâ and parentsâ attitudes and how learners experience school impacts on attendance. This report sets out further analysis to identify the most important individual drivers (we conducted a logistic regression and all reported drivers are significant at p>0.05). These are the drivers that have the biggest effect on whether a learner attends school regularly or not.
For parents the most important attitudes are:
For learners the most important attitudes are:
What happens in school matters as well. For learners the most important school-based factors are:
We know that learnersâ and parentsâ attitudes and how learners experience school impacts on attendance. This report sets out further analysis to identify the most important individual drivers (we conducted a logistic regression and all reported drivers are significant at p>0.05). These are the drivers that have the biggest effect on whether a learner attends school regularly or not.
For parents the most important attitudes are:
For learners the most important attitudes are:
What happens in school matters as well. For learners the most important school-based factors are:
We know that four in 10 parents (41 percent) are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school a term. This really matters for attendance. Parents who are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school per term are more than twice as likely to have a child who doesnât regularly attend school (61 percent), compared to those parents who are not comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school (27 percent). Regularly attending is missing less than a week of school a term, not regularly attending is missing a week or more of school a term.
Figure 3: Learner attendance by parent comfort levels with child missing schoolÂ
Figure three is a graph showing the percentage of children regularly attending and not regularly attending school by parent comfort levels with their child missing school.
For parents who are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school, thirty nine percent had children who regularly attend school, while sixty one percent had children who didnât regularly attend school.
For parents who werenât comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school, seventy three percent had children who regularly attend school, while twenty seven percent had children who didnât regularly attend school.
Why parents let their children miss school also matters. Letting children miss school for a particular reason can change their attitudes to attendance and increase the chance of irregular attendance.
Parents who would keep their child out of school because their child was being bullied are 23 percentage points more likely to have a child that doesnât attend school regularly (51 percent compared to 28 percent).
Figure 4: Learner attendance by whether a parent would keep their child out of school if their child is being bulliedÂ
Figure four is a graph showing the percentage of children regularly attending and not regularly attending school by whether a parent would or wouldnât keep their child out of school if their child was being bullied.
For parents who would keep their child out of out of school if they were being bullied, forty nine percent had children who regularly attend school, while fifty one percent had children who didnât regularly attend.
For parents who wouldnât keep their child out of out of school if they were being bullied, seventy two percent had children who regularly attend school, while twenty eight percent had children who didnât regularly attend.
Parents who would keep their child out of school because their child isnât able to participate in certain activities are 22 percentage points more likely to have a child that doesnât attend school regularly (57 percent compared to 35 percent).
Parents who would keep their child out of school because there is a family/whÄnau/special event on are 21 percentage points more likely to have a child that doesnât attend school regularly (46 percent compared to 25 percent).
Parents who would keep their child out of school for mental health challenges are 11 percentage points more likely to have a child that doesnât attend school regularly (49 percent compared to 38 percent). Â
We know that four in 10 parents (41 percent) are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school a term. This really matters for attendance. Parents who are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school per term are more than twice as likely to have a child who doesnât regularly attend school (61 percent), compared to those parents who are not comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school (27 percent). Regularly attending is missing less than a week of school a term, not regularly attending is missing a week or more of school a term.
Figure 3: Learner attendance by parent comfort levels with child missing schoolÂ
Figure three is a graph showing the percentage of children regularly attending and not regularly attending school by parent comfort levels with their child missing school.
For parents who are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school, thirty nine percent had children who regularly attend school, while sixty one percent had children who didnât regularly attend school.
For parents who werenât comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school, seventy three percent had children who regularly attend school, while twenty seven percent had children who didnât regularly attend school.
Why parents let their children miss school also matters. Letting children miss school for a particular reason can change their attitudes to attendance and increase the chance of irregular attendance.
Parents who would keep their child out of school because their child was being bullied are 23 percentage points more likely to have a child that doesnât attend school regularly (51 percent compared to 28 percent).
Figure 4: Learner attendance by whether a parent would keep their child out of school if their child is being bulliedÂ
Figure four is a graph showing the percentage of children regularly attending and not regularly attending school by whether a parent would or wouldnât keep their child out of school if their child was being bullied.
For parents who would keep their child out of out of school if they were being bullied, forty nine percent had children who regularly attend school, while fifty one percent had children who didnât regularly attend.
For parents who wouldnât keep their child out of out of school if they were being bullied, seventy two percent had children who regularly attend school, while twenty eight percent had children who didnât regularly attend.
Parents who would keep their child out of school because their child isnât able to participate in certain activities are 22 percentage points more likely to have a child that doesnât attend school regularly (57 percent compared to 35 percent).
Parents who would keep their child out of school because there is a family/whÄnau/special event on are 21 percentage points more likely to have a child that doesnât attend school regularly (46 percent compared to 25 percent).
Parents who would keep their child out of school for mental health challenges are 11 percentage points more likely to have a child that doesnât attend school regularly (49 percent compared to 38 percent). Â
What schools do and how learners feel about it also has an impact. ERO has found, in its work with schools across the country, that schools who perform well on all other aspects have higher attendance levels.
For learners in primary schools, the biggest driver of wanting to miss school is if they think their schoolwork is too hard. Primary learners who want to miss school because their schoolwork is too hard are 11 percentage points less likely to attend regularly than other learners (48 percent compared to 59 percent).
For learners in secondary schools the most important school-based barriers were:
Not being able to participate in activities â Secondary learners who want to miss school because they are unable to participate in some activities are 33 percentage points less likely to attend regularly (14 percent compared to 47 percent).
Figure 6: Learner attendance by whether learners want to miss school due to not being able to participate in certain activitiesÂ
Figure six is a graph showing the percentage of learners regularly attending and not regularly attending school by whether they want to miss school due to not being able to participate in certain activities.
For learners who want to miss school because they canât participate in some school activities, fourteen percent regularly attend school, while eighty six percent donât regularly attend school.
For learners who didnât indicate they want to miss school because they canât participate in some school activities, forty seven percent regularly attend school while fifty three percent donât regularly attend school.
Not liking the people in their class â Secondary learners who want to miss school because they donât like the people in their class are 20 percentage points less likely to attend regularly (30 percent compared to 50 percent).
Not liking their teacher(s) -Secondary learners who want to miss school because they donât like at least one of their teachers are 19 percentage points less likely to attend regularly (32 percent compared to 51 percent)
Being interested in what they are taught â Secondary learners who wanted to go to school because they are interested in what they are taught they are 18 percentage points more likely to attend regularly (57 percent compared to 39 percent).
What schools do and how learners feel about it also has an impact. ERO has found, in its work with schools across the country, that schools who perform well on all other aspects have higher attendance levels.
For learners in primary schools, the biggest driver of wanting to miss school is if they think their schoolwork is too hard. Primary learners who want to miss school because their schoolwork is too hard are 11 percentage points less likely to attend regularly than other learners (48 percent compared to 59 percent).
For learners in secondary schools the most important school-based barriers were:
Not being able to participate in activities â Secondary learners who want to miss school because they are unable to participate in some activities are 33 percentage points less likely to attend regularly (14 percent compared to 47 percent).
Figure 6: Learner attendance by whether learners want to miss school due to not being able to participate in certain activitiesÂ
Figure six is a graph showing the percentage of learners regularly attending and not regularly attending school by whether they want to miss school due to not being able to participate in certain activities.
For learners who want to miss school because they canât participate in some school activities, fourteen percent regularly attend school, while eighty six percent donât regularly attend school.
For learners who didnât indicate they want to miss school because they canât participate in some school activities, forty seven percent regularly attend school while fifty three percent donât regularly attend school.
Not liking the people in their class â Secondary learners who want to miss school because they donât like the people in their class are 20 percentage points less likely to attend regularly (30 percent compared to 50 percent).
Not liking their teacher(s) -Secondary learners who want to miss school because they donât like at least one of their teachers are 19 percentage points less likely to attend regularly (32 percent compared to 51 percent)
Being interested in what they are taught â Secondary learners who wanted to go to school because they are interested in what they are taught they are 18 percentage points more likely to attend regularly (57 percent compared to 39 percent).
Attendance is complicated, and parent and learner attitudes and circumstances matter. Not all of these issues are within a schoolâs control, but schools have a crucial impact. Schools can act to improve attendance.
School responses need to differ according to the level of non-attendance. Schools need strategies that help all children attend regularly, early identification and action for those learners who are starting to not attend, and more intensive targeted interventions for those who are chronic non-attenders.
This report looks at how schools can help these students who do attend but not regularly enough. Given what we know about what drives attendance along with international evidence on what is effective, the three key actions schools can take are:
Parental attitudes are really important for learner attendance. Parents who are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school were more than twice as likely to have a child who doesnât regularly attend school.
International evidence[1][2] shows that parents may not recognise the importance of regular school attendance and the consequences of their child not attending. Parents can also underestimate the amount of school their children are missing and, as learners become more independent at secondary school, parents may be unaware of attendance patterns. Schools can help to address this by making the ongoing impact of non-attendance on studentsâ learning vivid for parents. Attendance habits that begin at primary school follow through into later education, so it is important to deliver these messages early and often. Schools should also immediately contact parents when learners are absent, and escalate early in the face of persistent non-attendance.
ERO has seen schools demonstrating promising practices in this area:
Not being interested in what is taught is a big driver of non-attendance, along with not liking at least one teacher and not liking the people in class.
The international evidence is clear that creating a great, welcoming environment at school promotes attendance. Evidence suggests promoting positive relationships between teachers and learners and promoting connectedness and belonging are two key ways to improve attendance. This can go alongside implementing an anti-bullying plan and ensuring cultural safety.
Engagement with school is also important. Learners who are interested in schoolwork and activities at school are more likely to attend. In addition, having strong motivation and goals around achievement and positive beliefs about their own academic abilities promotes attendance.
To make learning more engaging and make school a great place to be we recommend the following actions.
ERO has seen schools demonstrating promising practices in this area, such as:
We know there are a wide range of reasons that learners miss school. Many of these are due to learners or their parents facing barriers to attending. Â Evidence shows that broad approaches arenât sufficient to improve attendance for learners with more complex barriers to attendance. Context and specific needs of learners matter.
Responses could include discussions between school staff and parents to find out why a learner might not be attending and to uncover possible ways to solve these reasons. This requires both parents and school staff to develop a plan together to improve attendance. Schools and families need to identify any support the learner and family need. Depending on what families need, the response may require multiple services, which the school can help to co-ordinate. Some of the three most common elements of successful strategies are:
ERO has seen schools demonstrating promising practices in this area, such as:
Attendance is complicated, and parent and learner attitudes and circumstances matter. Not all of these issues are within a schoolâs control, but schools have a crucial impact. Schools can act to improve attendance.
School responses need to differ according to the level of non-attendance. Schools need strategies that help all children attend regularly, early identification and action for those learners who are starting to not attend, and more intensive targeted interventions for those who are chronic non-attenders.
This report looks at how schools can help these students who do attend but not regularly enough. Given what we know about what drives attendance along with international evidence on what is effective, the three key actions schools can take are:
Parental attitudes are really important for learner attendance. Parents who are comfortable with their child missing a week or more of school were more than twice as likely to have a child who doesnât regularly attend school.
International evidence[1][2] shows that parents may not recognise the importance of regular school attendance and the consequences of their child not attending. Parents can also underestimate the amount of school their children are missing and, as learners become more independent at secondary school, parents may be unaware of attendance patterns. Schools can help to address this by making the ongoing impact of non-attendance on studentsâ learning vivid for parents. Attendance habits that begin at primary school follow through into later education, so it is important to deliver these messages early and often. Schools should also immediately contact parents when learners are absent, and escalate early in the face of persistent non-attendance.
ERO has seen schools demonstrating promising practices in this area:
Not being interested in what is taught is a big driver of non-attendance, along with not liking at least one teacher and not liking the people in class.
The international evidence is clear that creating a great, welcoming environment at school promotes attendance. Evidence suggests promoting positive relationships between teachers and learners and promoting connectedness and belonging are two key ways to improve attendance. This can go alongside implementing an anti-bullying plan and ensuring cultural safety.
Engagement with school is also important. Learners who are interested in schoolwork and activities at school are more likely to attend. In addition, having strong motivation and goals around achievement and positive beliefs about their own academic abilities promotes attendance.
To make learning more engaging and make school a great place to be we recommend the following actions.
ERO has seen schools demonstrating promising practices in this area, such as:
We know there are a wide range of reasons that learners miss school. Many of these are due to learners or their parents facing barriers to attending. Â Evidence shows that broad approaches arenât sufficient to improve attendance for learners with more complex barriers to attendance. Context and specific needs of learners matter.
Responses could include discussions between school staff and parents to find out why a learner might not be attending and to uncover possible ways to solve these reasons. This requires both parents and school staff to develop a plan together to improve attendance. Schools and families need to identify any support the learner and family need. Depending on what families need, the response may require multiple services, which the school can help to co-ordinate. Some of the three most common elements of successful strategies are:
ERO has seen schools demonstrating promising practices in this area, such as:
Regular attendance at school is critical to achievement and Aotearoa New Zealandâs future. We need to act now to change the trend of declining attendance. While there are a range of factors that impact on attendance, our research shows that some are more important than others. Similarly, different factors are more important for different learners in different contexts. International evidence and our own research highlights the importance of understanding specific barriers and putting targeted responses in place to address these.
Regular attendance at school is critical to achievement and Aotearoa New Zealandâs future. We need to act now to change the trend of declining attendance. While there are a range of factors that impact on attendance, our research shows that some are more important than others. Similarly, different factors are more important for different learners in different contexts. International evidence and our own research highlights the importance of understanding specific barriers and putting targeted responses in place to address these.
Data collected for this report included:
ERO has also drawn on data collected and reported by the Ministry of Education.
[1]Â https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/documents/pages/Attendance-REA-report.pdf?v=1674658557
[2]Â https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/about-us/educational-data/cese/2022-understanding-attendance.pdf
Data collected for this report included:
ERO has also drawn on data collected and reported by the Ministry of Education.
[1]Â https://d2tic4wvo1iusb.cloudfront.net/documents/pages/Attendance-REA-report.pdf?v=1674658557
[2]Â https://education.nsw.gov.au/content/dam/main-education/about-us/educational-data/cese/2022-understanding-attendance.pdf