Attendance - Showing Up

Friday, 21st February 2025 at 7:39am

A famous film director once said that “Ninety percent of success in life is just showing up." Now although we may well suggest that consistent hard work and application have something to do with being successful, it cannot be denied that being present is important. Obviously, attendance being important is true of school as it is of other aspects of life.

The numbers are important in this. Just one day per fortnight absent means that a student misses 10% of their learning time with their teachers. That would be the same as missing a whole year of school by the time a student is 16. The gaps in learning and the break in continuity are important to recognise. A student who is absent is missing explanations, missing hints, missing guidance and that personal help from a teacher that being in school gives. And a student who has reduced understanding is less likely to succeed and more likely to find progress more difficult.

'Showing up' also builds those social and interpersonal skills that are a necessary part of development for young people. The 'Covid Years' when we were out of school for so long were hard years for many young people. Presence in school is expected and is a marker of social integration.

The Government’s Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) is a way in which students will be encouraged to be in school. The response includes a requirement to send formal notifications to families of those with poor attendance and generate plans for improving attendance. There will also be escalating interventions, a requirement to inform the Ministry of Education about such absences and engage with outside agencies to support a return to school.

Chris Woodward GBHS ASSOCIATE PRINCIPAL