SCHOOL POLICIES

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ATTENDANCE POLICY

Student Attendance

The Education Act 1989 requires that all children six years old and over must attend school. Once enrolled, it is compulsory for children to attend school regularly.

Epsom Normal Primary School encourages students to participate fully in school life. Students are expected to attend school when required, and to be on time for classes. This policy applies for off-site activities as well, such as EOTC activities.

We monitor the daily attendance of students to:

ensure their safety both in getting to school, and in accounting for them in an emergency
identify students with achievement, engagement, or other issues
meet our legal responsibilities.

Parents and guardians also have legal obligations to ensure their children attend school. The school expects parents to:

notify the school if their child is going to be absent by phone, text, or email by 9.00 am
try to arrange appointments etc. outside school hours or in holidays
work with the school to manage any attendance issues.

Absences are usually unjustified unless the student is too sick to attend school, or has suffered a bereavement. Sometimes a student might be out of class but should still be marked present, such as when attending a medical appointment. For a full list of absence codes, see Attendance Matters. Holidays should only be taken during Term breaks/school holidays.

Attendance rules 2025

Under section 237A (Attendance records) of the Education and Training Act 2020, the Secretary for Education has published rules setting out administrative and procedural requirements relating to attendance records. Attendance rules.

Unacceptable levels of absence

Attendance is monitored through our School Management System, and parents are notified of absences and/or patterns of absences. The school follows up on unacceptable levels of absence (10 half-days per term) and may refer the case to the Ministry of Education Attendance Service.

Leaving school during the day

Students may NOT leave the school during school hours except by special arrangement – for example, a parent request (verbal or written) for the student to attend a medical appointment. The student must sign out at the office.

If a student becomes ill at school, follow the Procedure for sending sick students home.

All teachers must comply with the school’s standard schedule. Students should be supervised until they are formally released.

Also, see Missing Student Protocol.

Out of school tuition and activities

Any request from a parent for their child to attend a programme or activity off-site during school hours must be made at least one week before the planned event. The request is approved or declined entirely at the discretion of the principal who considers each application on its merits, using the following criteria:

The specific relevance and benefit to the student’s education and their learning and development goals.
The length of time away from regular school programmes that the activity will require.
The qualifications and experience of the course provider.

If permission is granted for a student to attend such a programme, they are marked as present for that time, with a comment about their attendance at the programme.

Education Act 1989, including Education (Update) Amendment Act 2017 Legislation