Latest news with #SteppedAttendanceResponse
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Measures To Encourage Student Attendance At School Strengthened
Press Release – New Zealand Government The Ministry of Education is proactively contacting Attendance Service providers and schools to ensure parents who repeatedly refuse to send their children to school are referred to the Ministry, Mr Seymour says. Associate Minister of Education Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government is going to take a firmer approach to school attendance. The Ministry of Education is ready to pursue prosecutions of parents who repeatedly refuse to ensure their children attend school. 'The Ministry of Education is proactively contacting Attendance Service providers and schools to ensure parents who repeatedly refuse to send their children to school are referred to the Ministry,' Mr Seymour says. 'Prosecution is a reality for parents who refuse to send their children to school and ignore supports to ensure their children are in class and learning. The Ministry will not prosecute parents of students who are absent because of chronic illness or health conditions associated with a disability, or who are genuinely engaging with a school and the supports offered. 'Last year I directed the Ministry to exercise its powers and take a more active role in prosecutions to make them viable. I encourage school leaders to seek that support when all other measures have failed' Mr Seymour says. 'Although we are facing an attendance crisis, green shoots are present, and we need to keep building on them. In every term in 2024 attendance improved on the same term in 2023. 'I expect this momentum to continue as phases of our attendance action plan come into force. For example, it will be mandatory for schools to have their own attendance management plan, aligned with the Stepped Atten dance Response (STAR) (STAR) in place by Term 1 of 2026. 'The basic premise of the STAR is that no child is left behind. The STAR clarifies the roles and responsibilities that school leadership, boards, parents and the Ministry have in supporting students to attend school. 'Around 10% of students are absent for 15 days or more in a school term. Students in that bracket would trigger the 'red light' in the general framework. At this point, prosecution would be considered a valid intervention. This means every day at school is important, and interventions will follow if absences build up. 'Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves.'
Scoop
4 days ago
- Politics
- Scoop
Measures To Encourage Student Attendance At School Strengthened
Associate Minister of Education Associate Education Minister David Seymour has today announced that the Government is going to take a firmer approach to school attendance. The Ministry of Education is ready to pursue prosecutions of parents who repeatedly refuse to ensure their children attend school. 'The Ministry of Education is proactively contacting Attendance Service providers and schools to ensure parents who repeatedly refuse to send their children to school are referred to the Ministry,' Mr Seymour says. 'Prosecution is a reality for parents who refuse to send their children to school and ignore supports to ensure their children are in class and learning. The Ministry will not prosecute parents of students who are absent because of chronic illness or health conditions associated with a disability, or who are genuinely engaging with a school and the supports offered. 'Last year I directed the Ministry to exercise its powers and take a more active role in prosecutions to make them viable. I encourage school leaders to seek that support when all other measures have failed' Mr Seymour says. 'Although we are facing an attendance crisis, green shoots are present, and we need to keep building on them. In every term in 2024 attendance improved on the same term in 2023. 'I expect this momentum to continue as phases of our attendance action plan come into force. For example, it will be mandatory for schools to have their own attendance management plan, aligned with the Stepped Atten dance Response (STAR) (STAR) in place by Term 1 of 2026. 'The basic premise of the STAR is that no child is left behind. The STAR clarifies the roles and responsibilities that school leadership, boards, parents and the Ministry have in supporting students to attend school. 'Around 10% of students are absent for 15 days or more in a school term. Students in that bracket would trigger the 'red light' in the general framework. At this point, prosecution would be considered a valid intervention. This means every day at school is important, and interventions will follow if absences build up. 'Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves.'
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Getting Kids Back In School
Press Release – New Zealand Government Frontline attendance services will be more accountable, better at effectively managing cases, and data driven in their responses. To achieve this, they will soon have access to a new case management system and better data monitoring and their … Associate Minister of Education Frontline attendance services will receive a significant funding boost so they can support more schools and reach double the students, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. Budget 2025 includes a $140 million package to improve attendance over the next four years. This includes around $123 million for the delivery of a new attendance service and almost $17 million to support and strengthen frontline attendance services. 'Frontline attendance services will be more accountable, better at effectively managing cases, and data driven in their responses. To achieve this, they will soon have access to a new case management system and better data monitoring, and their contracts will be more closely monitored,' Mr Seymour says. 'In 2024 the Education Review Office (ERO) completed a report into attendance services which found that the system designed to get students back in school was ineffective and required substantial reform. For example, the current system fails to consistently improve student attendance because funding varies between providers. Many services are under resourced and cannot meet demand. The 2024 ERO report made four recommendations for a successful new attendance service: Having effective targeted supports in place to address chronic absence Increasing the focus on retaining students on their return Putting in place an efficient and effective model Strengthening how we prevent students becoming chronically absent. 'The new attendance services model addresses the first three recommendations. The wider attendance action plan, which includes the requirement for schools to have their own attendance management plan, aligned with the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) in place by Term 1 of 2026, will address all four,' Mr Seymour says. 'Service providers will work with families, local communities and social agencies to deliver comprehensive services. The level of service provided will depend on the need. It will range from advice and support to schools, to intensive case management of students. 'Schools with the highest numbers of chronically absent students will be able to apply for funding for an in-school service. The schools in this bracket tend to be ones in higher Equity Index (EQI) groups, facing the most socio-economic barriers.' Transitioning to the new Attendance Service will begin at the end of this year and the new services will become fully operational from early 2026. The Ministry of Education will work with providers to ensure the transition is smooth, and that students continue to receive the services they need during this period. 'Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves,' Mr Seymour says.
Scoop
13-05-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Getting Kids Back In School
Associate Minister of Education Frontline attendance services will receive a significant funding boost so they can support more schools and reach double the students, Associate Education Minister David Seymour says. Budget 2025 includes a $140 million package to improve attendance over the next four years. This includes around $123 million for the delivery of a new attendance service and almost $17 million to support and strengthen frontline attendance services. 'Frontline attendance services will be more accountable, better at effectively managing cases, and data driven in their responses. To achieve this, they will soon have access to a new case management system and better data monitoring, and their contracts will be more closely monitored,' Mr Seymour says. 'In 2024 the Education Review Office (ERO) completed a report into attendance services which found that the system designed to get students back in school was ineffective and required substantial reform. For example, the current system fails to consistently improve student attendance because funding varies between providers. Many services are under resourced and cannot meet demand. The 2024 ERO report made four recommendations for a successful new attendance service: Having effective targeted supports in place to address chronic absence Increasing the focus on retaining students on their return Putting in place an efficient and effective model Strengthening how we prevent students becoming chronically absent. 'The new attendance services model addresses the first three recommendations. The wider attendance action plan, which includes the requirement for schools to have their own attendance management plan, aligned with the Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) in place by Term 1 of 2026, will address all four,' Mr Seymour says. 'Service providers will work with families, local communities and social agencies to deliver comprehensive services. The level of service provided will depend on the need. It will range from advice and support to schools, to intensive case management of students. 'Schools with the highest numbers of chronically absent students will be able to apply for funding for an in-school service. The schools in this bracket tend to be ones in higher Equity Index (EQI) groups, facing the most socio-economic barriers.' Transitioning to the new Attendance Service will begin at the end of this year and the new services will become fully operational from early 2026. The Ministry of Education will work with providers to ensure the transition is smooth, and that students continue to receive the services they need during this period. 'Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes. Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves,' Mr Seymour says.
NZ Herald
13-05-2025
- Health
- NZ Herald
Budget 2025: David Seymour reveals $140m boost to lift school attendance, plans for new nationwide service
The remaining $17m will go towards strengthening existing frontline attendance services. 'Frontline attendance services will be more accountable, better at effectively managing cases, and data-driven in their responses,' Seymour said. 'To achieve this, they will soon have access to a new case management system and better data monitoring, and their contracts will be more closely monitored. The 2024 ERO report made four recommendations for a new attendance scheme to address chronic absences from school. They were: Strengthening how we prevent students becoming chronically absent. This would require social agencies to address the barriers to attendance that sit outside of the education sector. Having effective targeted supports in place to address chronic absence including clearer roles and responsibilities for chronic absence for schools, attendance services, families and other agencies. Increasing the focus on retaining students on their return, including a deliberate plan to support returning students to reintegrate, be safe, and catch up. Implementing an efficient and effective model. This relates to centralised functions such as information sharing agreements between agencies and prosecutions of parents, and localised actions like ensuring schools have the necessary resources and support. The Government's new attendance model would address recommendations two to four. 'The wider attendance action plan, which includes the requirement for schools to have their own attendance management plan aligned with the Stepped Attendance Response [Star] in place by Term 1 of 2026, will address all four.' Seymour said service providers would work with families, local communities and social agencies. The level of service provided would depend on the need, ranging from advice and support to schools to intensive case management of students. Schools with the highest numbers of chronically absent students would be able to apply for funding for an in-school service, he said. 'The schools in this bracket tend to be ones in higher equity index groups, facing the most socio-economic barriers.' Moving to the new attendance service would begin at the end of this year and the new services would become fully operational from early 2026. 'Attending school is the first step towards achieving positive educational outcomes,' Seymour said. 'Positive educational outcomes lead to better health, higher incomes, better job stability and greater participation within communities. These are opportunities that every student deserves.'
