Legal requirements when a student leaves

Regulation 11 of the Education (School Attendance) Regulations 1951 states that on the day that the principal first knows that a student has left their school, they must record that the student has left and note the student’s last day of tuition.

You must record the student's last day of attendance as their leaving date in both ENROL and your school's student management system. Record this date as their last day even if it is before you were notified that the student is leaving. We use the last day of attendance to determine whether the student should be included in your roll return for resourcing.

The '20-day' rule

You must also record that a student has left your school when the student has been absent for 20 consecutive school days, unless you have been told that the student’s absence is only temporary. Record their last day of attendance as their leaving date.

Section 6 of the Education (School Attendance) Regulations 2024 – New Zealand Legislation

Update the Student Enrolment Register

You must unenrol the student in the Student Enrolment Register (ENROL) within 5 days of them leaving your school. You should also update ENROL if you have reason to believe the student won't return to your school, even if they have been absent less than 20 school days.

You need to:

• confirm the last day of attendance at the school and update the student’s ENROL record
• update the student's teaching and learning notes
• flag where any supporting information has been kept on the student's file in your school (the new school must request this information).

The Attendance Service will be notified through ENROL if the student:

• is domestic and under 16 years of age, and
• remains unenrolled after 20 school days.

Update records in your student management system

You need to record the student's last date of attendance in your student management system (SMS) so that your roll return is accurate. The SMS will automatically exclude any student who has a last date of attendance before the roll return date.

What to record for students who are unlikely to return but have not officially left

Sometimes you may have students who you do not expect will return, but do not yet have a confirmed last day of attendance. For these students you should change the student type in the SMS to 'not attending' (NA) for your roll return. These students will not be counted in the roll return but will stay on your SMS for administration purposes.

Use this student type for students not attending on roll count day where there is no documentation to support their absence. Do not use it for students who have left the school permanently. These students should be unenrolled.

Use the NA student code if a student:

• is absent on the roll count date and isn't expected to return
• doesn't meet the requirements for being included on a roll return, for example, a student that's excluded but not yet enrolled at another school
• is currently not attending your school and you're unsure if he/she is leaving.