Local Focus: Rotorua Principals react to shocking attendance statistics

While many Rotorua school students showed up at school today, an increasing number did not.

The Ministry of Education recently released damning statistics on school attendance, and it paints a dire picture, with attendance dropping 10 percent over the past year.

Principal of John Paul College, Patrick Walsh says regular attendance is crucial.

"It's a disturbing trend and one that principals should be concerned about, on the basis that every day that a student misses a class or classes, puts their education at a disadvantage," said Walsh.

"You can't learn if you're not at school. You have to catch up, our experience is the more time students spend away, the harder it is for them to come back."

And the ministry says the effects of missing school can snowball.

"I think the key message is every day out of the class is related to lower levels of achievement," said Craig Jones, Ministry of Education spokesperson.

"The misconception of a day or two doesn't matter? It really does. Analysis that's been released shows the relationship between attendance rate and achievement - it's linear."

There's numerous reasons for a student not turning up at school regularly. In some cases there's a lack of relationship between family and school. However Walsh also believes the school has a strong part to play.

Brent Griffin agrees. He's the principal of Western Heights Primary School, a decile 1 primary school. He understands that sometimes attendance is outside the child's control.

"What we have found is the majority of children who don't attend is not due to reasons relating to children, but relating to adults," said Griffin.

"School may not be the highest priority in families - if you look at poverty-affected kids, their families are trying to get through day by day.

"Simple things we don't think about when we go home: can we provide enough meals for the week, simple things like petrol on a rainy day. They have issues getting warrant of fitness and registration, so they don't often have vehicles, so on the rainy days, who's going to take them to school?"

According to the Ministry of Education, the year 3 bracket has taken the biggest hit - dropping 16 percent in the past year alone.

With Western Heights investing a great deal into that age group, Griffin knows that showing the kids love and acceptance is crucial to keeping them coming.

"We're only one very small component in this, but I tell you what - one of the key things we do in New Zealand schools is make sure the environment we create is based around love and belonging.

"I get goosebumps talking about it, when they do get to school they need to feel cared for and feel a sense of belonging.

"Our children may be turning up late, may have 50 to 60 children turning up late every week. But parents are trying to get them here and the reason those kids are gtting here is because they want to be here.

"Would we like them from 8:30 till 3? Yes we would, but if they get here at half past nine, we'll take them and be happy they're with us. Does it affect their learning? Of course it does.

"They need to be here at school. But we need to build that culture, we need to have them here so we can teach them."

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