Legal requirements for school attendance

Schools are required to:

• enrol eligible students
• take all reasonable steps to ensure students attend when the school is open
• keep an attendance record for each enrolled student
• have an absence notification process
• use an approved electronic attendance register and Ministry approved attendance codes to record attendance.

Parents and legal guardians are required to:

• enrol their child when they turn 6 years old
• ensure their child attends school every day until they are at least 16 years old.

Student eligibility

All domestic children between the ages of 5-19* are entitled to free enrolment and education at any State school or charter school. This right includes attending school all hours that the school is open for instruction. Students with special education needs have the same rights to education as other students.

*The end of the year in which they turn 19 unless they have ORS in which case this extends to 21. 

Talking to parents and whānau

These resources are templates and starters for schools to use and adjust for communicating with parents. They include topics like why attendance is important, justified and unjustified absences, what whānau can do, and what support is available.

Attendance and sickness

Health guidance by Te Whatu Ora │ Health New Zealand is available to help schools and parents to decide if a student is well enough to attend school.

Knowing if a child is well enough to be at school – Te Whatu Ora

Download the attendance quick reference guide

This guide provides schools with information and resources to assess attendance patterns within their school and put in place appropriate policies and practices to improve student attendance.

Attendance services

How the attendance service works

The attendance service works with students who are enrolled in school but have not been attending. Schools can contact the service for help with managing attendance and reducing unjustified absence.

We contract providers across the country to deliver this service.

How to access the attendance service

You should make a referral to our attendance service application if:

• a student has been absent without an explanation and
• you have not been successful getting them back to school.

Use our attendance service application to make a referral.

How to Log in to ASA – Applications and Online Systems

Referrals go straight to a service provider who will allocate the referral to a kaiawhina | attendance advisor.

Map of attendance services 2024

Training for school leaders and administration staff

We run an online training session in managing attendance. Email our training services team for an invite to the training:

Email: mailto:[email protected]