User:Andersonjm/Temp/Attendance procedures.doc

“Every Board shall, by any means it thinks appropriate, take all reasonable steps to ensure the attendance of students enrolled at its school or schools (or institution or institutions).”

DEFINITIONS OF ATTENDANCE, ABSENCE AND TRUANCY


 * Justified absences (JA) are absences recorded in the register, and marked as having been satisfactorily explained. A school has to make a judgement as to which explanations they will accept. The basis for such judgements is a matter of school policy, and as such the balance of justified and unjustified absences may vary slightly from school to school. For example, most schools would probably determine that a student's sickness should be recorded as a justified absence while schools may vary in their judgement when parents take their child/ren overseas during school days. 
 * Unjustified absences (UA) are absences, which are not explained, or not explained to the satisfaction of the school.
 * Intermittent unjustified absences (IUA) occur when a student is absent for part of a morning (or afternoon) or part of a period without justification. For example, a student who arrives 15 minutes late to school without a reason, or with a reason that is not acceptable to the principal would be recorded as an intermittently unjustified absence.

Attendance/Absentee/Truancy Procedures

1.Teacher Aide to note phone calls re absent or late children in the Day Book.

Parents (no pupils) are encouraged to phone in absence notification before school

(Day Book kept on shelf in staffroom)

2.Teachers greet children and mark roll in classrooms.

3.Note absentees in Day Book. Tick child’s name where a note is produced if a sibling explains the pupil’s absence.

4.Give Day Book to Teacher Aide who will ask all staff if they have received notification of absences and also checking school answer-phone. Then phoning the homes of the children whose absences have not been explained

5.Late children will be so noted in the Day Book - record actual time of arrival.

6. If attendance becomes an issue parents will be verbally notified their child’s absence is

becoming a concern and we are monitoring this concern within school at this stage. Outline to

parents the reasons attendance is important – social isolation, academic disadvantage and

legalities of attendance.

7.If attendance is still a concern, send written advice to parents confirming the dates of all unjustified absences and requesting an explanation for such absences.

8.Attempt to meet the family if unjustified absences are not explained to the satisfaction of the school.

9.If attendance is of a serious concern that is impacting significantly on the learning, health or general well being of the pupil then contact Public Health Nurse and/or Child Youth and Family

10.On going attendance issues will be handed on to Otago Youth Wellness Trust once above procedures have been exhausted.

11.Details of school attendance will be sent through to OYW as required.

Principal:Chairperson:

Signature:Signature:

Date:Date:

Amended:



DATE 19 February 1999CIRCULAR 1999/03CATEGORY StudentsRules for Student Enrolment Records

This Circular is about:

A new legal requirement in the Education Act 1989 requiring principals of all schools to keep an Enrolment Record for every student and to send the student's Enrolment Record to the principal of the next school when a student transfers between schools.

It is aimed at:

Board Chairpersons

Principals in all state, state integrated and registered private schools

The action required is:

Please ensure that all staff involved with students enrolling or leaving apply the rules set out in this circular.

Please note that the requirements relating to other enrolment and attendance matters, such as Admission and Withdrawal Registers and Attendance Registers have not changed.

For futher information:

Contact your nearest Ministry Management Centre.

Introduction

The rules being notified in this circular will make only minimal changes to what most schools do already. Keeping and forwarding student Enrolment Records are now legal requirements rather than simply policy or good practice.

The New Legal Requirements

1. This circular sets out the requirements of a provision in the Education Amendment Act (No 2) 1998, which has inserted a new section, 77A, in the Education Act 1989. The section requires principals to:


 * ensure that an Enrolment Record is kept for each student who is enrolled at the school;
 * take reasonable steps, when a student moves from one school to another, to send the student's Enrolment Record to the principal of the next school; and
 * comply with rules made by the Secretary of Education and notified in the New Zealand Gazette setting out the information to be included in the student Enrolment Records and the administrative and procedural requirements relating to them.

2. The rules in this notice set out the form and content of the Enrolment Record and the information to be kept in them, and the administrative and procedural requirements and duties of principals relating to them. In terms of section 77A, these rules made by the Secretary of Education were notified in the New Zealand Gazette on 18 February 1999.

3. The rules apply to all schools and to all school students - except Rule 7, which applies only to students under 16.

Purpose Statement

The purpose of these rules is to ensure that all children and young people receive their right to education as provided for in the Education Act 1989, and that everyone is enrolled in a registered school from their sixth to their sixteenth birthday as required by the Education Act.

In this circular, guideline notes have been provided for principals and their staff. These do not form part of the rules made by the Secretary, and are in a box like this.

The Rules

Rule 1

The principal of every school must ensure that an Enrolment Record as specified by the Secretary of Education is maintained for every student enrolled at the school, whatever their age.

a) The Enrolment Record is distinct from the school's own enrolment form. The school will have its own enrolment form signed by the parent(s) and/or student, and will retain its own enrolment form as in Rule 3.

Form E19/22A can be obtained at no cost from Learning Media Ltd.

Principals must continue to maintain school Admission and Withdrawal Registers and Attendance Registers as previously required.

Rule 2

The specified Enrolment Record is the front only of Form E19/22A, the standard "Record of Schools Attended", from here on referred to as the Enrolment Record.

a) If the number of schools a student has attended exceeds the spaces available on the student's Enrolment Record, an extra "Schools Attended" section from another E19/22A form can be stapled to the old one.

The back of form E19/22A is not part of the Enrolment Record and does not have to be completed for this purpose.

Rule 3

For seven years after students have left a school, every principal must ensure the school retains:

a) for every student, the school's own enrolment form signed by the parent(s) and/or student;

b) for students who have gone to another school, a photocopy of their Enrolment Record;

c) any student Enrolment Records that have not been requested by another school; and

d) the Enrolment Records of students who are known to have left the school as the result of an exemption, or to go overseas, or to enter tertiary education or work, or who are over 16 and are simply leaving school.

These documents are to be held, together with other enrolment and attendance information, for audit purposes.

Rule 4

When enrolling a student, principals must inform parents and students that:

a) in the case of students who have never been enrolled before, an Enrolment Record will be begun for the student, and in the case of other students their Enrolment Record will be requested from the student's previous school;

b) when the student leaves the school to go to another school, the Enrolment Record will be updated and passed on to the student's next school;

c) the school the student is attending will hold the Enrolment Record, and the student and parent can request a copy from the school; and

d) the Enrolment Record will be made available to the Ministry of Education or its agents if requested for a specific purpose.

The most likely circumstances in which the Ministry may want access to a student's Enrolment Record is when the Ministry is dealing with a funding or enrolment issue.


 * The fact that a school holds a student's Enrolment Record does not automatically lead to resourcing in respect of that student.
 * Resourcing goes to the school in which the student is enrolled and attending on the key date(s) for resourcing purposes.

The Non-Enrolment Truancy Service (NETS) may need a student's Enrolment Record if the student has been reported as possibly non-enrolled.

When a student moves to his/her next school, the first school retains a photocopy of the student's Enrolment Record, AND the school's own enrolment form signed by the student and/or parent(s)

Rule 5

When a student moves from one school to another:

a) The principal of the second school must request in writing the student's Enrolment Record from the principal of the first school within seven days of the student beginning to attend the second school.

b) The principal of the first school must forward the student's Enrolment Record to the principal of the second school within seven days of receiving the written request from the second school.

c) Should any student who has expressed an intention to enrol in a second school not have begun to attend on or near the date the parents and student have agreed with the school, the principal must arrange for his/her staff to attempt to contact the parents, and if necessary, advise the student's first school.

If the first school is not aware of which school the student is now attending, and the student is under 16, the principal of the first school initiates a referral to NETS as in Rule 7.

Proper application of this rule will ensure that students under 16 (who are required by Section 20 of the Education Act 1989 to be enrolled at a school) do re-enrol after leaving a school, unless exempted as in the notes to Rule 7.

In accordance with the Privacy Act 1993, having informed the student and/or parents of their intention, schools may agree to share other information such as the student's record of progress and achievement and/or other school records.

Rule 6

The following transitional arrangements apply to students who were already enrolled in a school on 18 February 1999 and for whom the school does not hold an Enrolment Record as specified in these rules.

a) The principal is not required to set up an Enrolment Record as specified in these rules while the students continue to attend that school.

b) If a student moves from that school to another school, the principal of the first school must draw up the specified Enrolment Record, listing any known previous schools. The principal must then send the student's Enrolment Record to the principal of the next school.

To simplify this procedure, the first school may simply attach a copy of the school's own enrolment form to the specified Enrolment Record. The school retains its own enrolment form and a photocopy of the Enrolment Record as in Rule 3.

Rule 7

This rule applies only to students under 16 who have left (or appear to have left) their school, and the principal has not, within 12 school days, received a request from a second school for the student's Enrolment Record.

The purpose of this rule is to ensure that principals arrange for their staff to follow up promptly if a student under 16 seems to have "disappeared" from a school.


 * If the principal has concerns about the safety of the student, s/he should advise the local Police or Children Young Persons and Families Agency (CYPFA) immediately.
 * If it is a matter of truancy, the school must deal with it promptly. Section 25 of the Education Act 1989 requires boards of trustees to take all reasonable steps to ensure that all students attend the school. Schools may refer students to the local District Truancy Service. Circular 1996/35 outlines steps schools can take to deal with extensive truancy.
 * If the student seems to have left, and the principal and staff do not know where the student has gone, follow the procedures set out in 7a and 7b below.

a) The principal must take reasonable steps to find out where the student has gone in order to send the student's Enrolment Record to the principal of the school at which the student is then enrolled.

b) If the principal cannot locate the student, the principal must inform the Ministry of Education using the form NETS-1, and retain the student's Enrolment Record as in Rule 3.

Do not send the student's Enrolment Record to the Ministry or NETS.

The form, NETS-1, which is to be used to send student information to the Ministry, is attached to this circular. An older version attached to Circular 1996/35 may also be used.


 * If the student is not exempted or under an active suspension, the Ministry refers the case to NETS.
 * The task for NETS is to locate the student, and, if necessary, assist them to re-enrol. NETS can also obtain clarification concerning students who may have gone overseas.
 * Either the Ministry or NETS will inform the principal of the outcome of the referral.

If a student under 16 has been absent for 20 consecutive school days without the principal being informed the absence is only temporary. The principal must take the student off the school roll in line with the school attendance regulations. If s/he has not already done so, the principal must then inform the Ministry as in Rule 7b.


 * Circular 1998/48, Roll Returns 1 March and 1 July, provides further information on the school attendance regulations, and the matter of removing a student from a school roll.

Kathy PhillipsSenior Manager, National Operations

= Non-Enrolment Notification Form =

PARENT/ GUARDIAN DETAILS
OTHER AGENCIES INVOLVED: eg Police, CYF, District Truancy Service

REFERRER DETAILS: