NZ’s Education Review Office just issued a report declaring school absenteeism – and particularly chronic truancy – at a crisis point.

In the past decade, chronic truancy (defined as where students attend 70% or less) has doubled in secondary schools and nearly tripled in primary schools. More than 80,000 students missed more than three weeks of school in Term 2 this year.

In Hawke’s Bay, in Term 2 of 2023, the number of chronically absent students was 774 in the Heretaunga area; in Napier the figure was 477. The numbers have been trending up. 

Impacts associated with truancy include failing to achieve basic education levels, obviously. Each additional half day of absence from school is associated with a consistent reduction in the number of NCEA credits gained, according to recent research from the Ministry of Education. At age 20, 55% of those chronically absent have not achieved NCEA Level 2, and 92 have not achieved University Entrance.

But broader impacts include higher rates of offending, more likely to live in social or emergency housing as adults, and having much worse employment outcomes. At age 25, nearly half are not earning wages and almost half are receiving a benefit.

That’s the problem, so what’s the solution according to the report titled: Left Behind: How do we get our chronically absent students back to school?

According to the report, the evidence is clear about the key components of an effective system for addressing chronic absence. 

1. There are clear expectations for attendance, and everyone knows what these are. 
2. There is a clear definition of what ‘poor attendance’ is, students are identified as their attendance starts to decline, and action is taken early to address their attendance.  
3. Students who are persistently absent from school are found, and they and their parents are engaged.  
4. The students, parents and whānau, schools, and other services develop a plan to get the students to attend school regularly.  
5. The barriers to attendance are removed, and compliance with the plan by students, parents and whānau, schools, and other parties is enforced.  
6. The student is returned to regularly attending school, and additional supports are scaled back.  
7. Schools monitor attendance, any issues are immediately acted on, and students receive the education and support that meets their needs.  
8. There are clear roles and responsibilities for improving attendance. Accountability across the roles is clear, and the functions are adequately resourced. 

Associate Education Minister David Seymour announced a new anti-truancy policy in September – STAR, the Stepped Attendance Response scheme. This involves a system of escalating notifications and interventions as a student’s absence time increases.

He commented on the report: “The ERO report states that there is a lack of understanding of the implications of truancy, interventions are occurring too late and only once non-attendance is firmly embedded, and that there is inadequate information sharing between agencies which puts strain on attendance services.”

Education leaders emphasise that poverty, housing uncertainty and mental health issues are the more fundamental underlying factors, with more intensive interventions, while useful, simply applying bandaids. And they note that young children in years 1-6 are their biggest concern, as that is when poor attendance habits get embedded.

At this age, realistically the problem is parents, their attitudes about attendance, and difficult home environments.

BayBuzz reported on truancy at length recently, including the views of Hawke’s Bay educators. See Abby Beswick’s How can we keep kids in schools?

And the full ERO report is here.