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Attendance action plan includes daily data, traffic light system

https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/political/513792/attendance-action-plan-includes-daily-data-traffic-light-system

The government has announced plans for a traffic light system with "clear obligations" for students about attending school.

Seymour pointed to New Zealand's attendance rates having fallen from 69.5 percent in term 2015, to 39.9 percent in term two 2022.

That's actually quite a shocking statistic, there must be a large number of kids simply never attending school at all to have an average that low.

12 comments

BalpeenHammer

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I like how the government says it's going to cut regulations and cut unnecessary staff but add reporting requirements to be handed to them daily.

Apparently having to file data every day isn't a regulation.

Xcf456

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It doesnt have to be large amounts of complete non attendance. Regular attendance is defined as attending for more than 90 per cent of the term. Terms are about 10 weeks so 50 days, to be counted in the non attendance figures you have to miss five days in a term. A couple of illnesses can easily knock kids under that, not that there aren't more long term absences for other reasons as well.

On illness, term 2 2022 is the middle of our biggest covid outbreak when omicron got in and all the rules were being relaxed. Attendance has gone up again since then but is still lower than pre covid. Seems cynical that Seymour would pick this period as the end point when these stats were being collected until term 3 last year.

Ilovethebomb

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Right, so it's not 40% attendance, it's 40% failed to meet 90% attendance.

Very confusing.

Xcf456

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Yeah exactly. I think it gets interpreted, and unfortunately misrepresented by some, as a rate of long-term truancy when it's actually that, plus a whole bunch of other things, many of which are perfectly reasonable.

Ilovethebomb

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It's definitely a very poor way to present the data.

BalpeenHammer

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Seymour is a dishonest prick so of course he would do the most dishonest thing possible.

Rangelus

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This does not pass the sniff test. Most of my sons' classmates are in school all term, bar the odd ilness here and there, or the odd early leaving for a holiday. If attendance was really that bad, you would expect classrooms to be much smaller.

Ilovethebomb

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As per the other comment, it sounds like the data is being presented in a very counter-intuitive way.

liv

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Oh geez, I didn't realize how deranged this plan was. No wonder that principal from HoraHora school (which does fantastic things) was acting so angry.

This makes no sense - he wants to fine the families.

It's really weird how he talks about how important the years of education are while simultaneously moving to make kids hungrier and undervaccinated.

Ilovethebomb

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I really hope Labour get their shit together before the next election.

liv

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Yes we need a robust system.

I was fretting before about this govt just undoing stuff without any policy direction of their own, but now we're beginning to see the policy directions I take that back.

amorangi

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Did you forget there was covid in 2022?