Students wagging more often

ABSENCES: Tauranga Girls' College principal Pauline Cowens said most absences at the school were explained. PHOTO/FILE

The Bay of Plenty's school absence rate increased more than 2 per cent last year and one Tauranga principal says winter illness and families taking advantage of affordable airfares are among reasons local students take time off school.

The Bay of Plenty's school absence rate was 12.9 per cent last year, up on the previous year's 10.5 per cent, according to the Ministry of Education's Attendance in New Zealand Schools 2014 publication.

The attendance survey is a snapshot of school attendance data from one week in term two of last year.

The Bay of Plenty's unjustified absence rate was 5.8 per cent last year, up on the previous year's 4.4 per cent.

Its frequent truant rate, which measures students absent unjustifiably for three or more days in the survey week, rose to 1.5 per cent from 1.2 per cent.

Tauranga Girls' College principal Pauline Cowens said most absences at the school were explained. Illness was the most common reason for absence, particularly in the winter.

The current fare structures for airlines and the number of families with relatives overseas created a continuing issue for a small group of students wanting to be away for family reason at the beginning and end of terms, she said.

Mrs Cowens said attendance at the school this year was slightly ahead of 2014. Absence rates varied through year levels.

She said the school focused on positive reinforcement for being at school, through its values system of respect, participation and pride.

It also had attendance officers to work with families.

Mount Maunganui College deputy principal Ady van der Beek said absence rates at the school had been declining.

He said the school was working in harmony with the attendance service. The school funded an attendance officer and also had an externally funded attendance advisor.

The attendance officer communicated with families about absences.

Mr van der Beek said the majority of absences were justified. There had been minor growth in parents taking children on holiday during term time.

Mr van der Beek said the school managed a branch of the attendance service and attendance was improving in the wider Tauranga area.

The national absence rate increased slightly last year on the previous one.

The proportion of justified absences remained unchanged, so the increase in the national rate was due to an increase in unjustified absences, according to the ministry publication.

The total unjustified absence rate was 4.6 per cent compared to 3.9 per cent in 2013.

The national frequent truant rate was 1.3 per cent compared to 1 per cent in 2013. Frequent truancy was highest for students in Year 13 and for Maori students, according to the publication.

New Zealand Principals' Federation national president Denise Torrey said a large amount of illness had been around this year.

"Unfortunately with so many working parents we find many children still turn up to school sick and therefore infect others."

Parents had financial pressures and it was difficult for those who didn't live near extended family to find support for children when they were sick, she said.

That made things difficult for schools as they didn't have facilities to look after sick children.

Children going on holiday during term time was definitely a rising trend and the ways schools viewed those absences varied, said Ms Torrey.