Yesterday, Radio New Zealand and The Press published an article about attendance at Kaiapoi High School. Many modern media outlets rely on attention-grabbing headlines (often called clickbait) to ensure people open articles, stay informed, and ultimately help keep quality journalism financially sustainable.
We genuinely support the media and the important role it plays in public education and accountability. We also appreciate the substance of the article — even if the headline felt overly dramatic compared to the rest of the story.
For example, the same article could just as accurately be titled:
“Over half of Kaiapoi High School students have attendance of 90% or above!”
It doesn’t have quite the same impact — but it tells the same story, with greater clarity: that the Government’s definition of ‘regular attendance’ is exactly that — 90% and above.
We encourage our community to read the full article, as it provides important context about attendance nationally and locally, and highlights several key points about our kura.
What the article shares
If you’re too busy to read the whole article, here are some key points that I would like to draw your attention to:
- Over half of our students (51%) are meeting the national regular attendance benchmark of 90% or more.
- It unpacks that 90%, although satisfactory, still has an impact on student learning – missing one day per fortnight. I also draw attention, as I have in previous articles on this newsfeed, that 80% should be considered poor attendance, equating to missing roughly one day per week.
- A direct quote from the article is: “You wouldn’t accept that (80% attendance) as an employer, so we need to ensure they are getting into good habits now.”
- A significant proportion of absences during the 2025 Term 4 reporting period is linked to illness, particularly during winter, when bugs circulate widely.
- The article reinforces something we see daily: attendance affects far more than academics — it also impacts leadership opportunities, sport, friendships, and overall wellbeing.
- Families who communicate early with teachers help reduce the learning impact when absences are unavoidable.
The piece also briefly touches on our new restorative/referral pilot. Please see our earlier articles for more details on this project. For those new to this newsfeed, our pilot includes structured after-school restorative meetings with students, creating dedicated time for meaningful conversations and long-term change.
This work aligns closely with national expectations from the Ministry of Education and reflects our ongoing commitment to improving attendance, strengthening relationships, and supporting every learner to succeed.
A shared responsibility
There’s been a lot of chatter on this topic across various social media platforms, and it’s clear that attendance is not just a school issue — it’s a community one. Developing strong habits now helps prepare young people for future study, employment, and life beyond school. Every day matters, and every hour in class counts.
Ngā mihi to RNZ and The Press for shining a light on this important kaupapa — and thank you to our whānau for the continued partnership that supports our students to be present, engaged, and thriving.
Lastly, as mentioned earlier, please read the article. I believe it does a good job of shining a spotlight on an incredibly important topic that we, as a nation, need to focus on for the benefit and wellbeing of our tamariki.
Ngā mihi mahana,
Jason Reid
