“Nationally, 64.3% of students met the criteria for regular attendance (present more than
90% of the term). This is an increase of 5.9 percentage points from Term 2 2025.”
69.5% was the pre-covid high (2015) and it is very good to see the trend going in the right direction.
A lot of effort still needs to go into some groups – but the trend there is positive also:
“In Term 2 2026, regular attendance was 49.1% for ākonga Māori, 51.4% for Pacific students, 76.1% for Asian students, and 66.5% for European/Pākehā students.
“In Term 2 2026, regular attendance was 49.1% for ākonga Māori, 51.4% for Pacific students, 76.1% for Asian students, and 66.5% for European/Pākehā students.
Regular attendance improved across all ethnicities compared with Term 2 2025. Pacific students had the highest increase in regular attendance of 7.1 percentage points compared to Term 2 2025.
The rate for ākonga Māori increased by 5.4 percentage points compared with Term 2 2025, with European/Pākehā students showing a 5.8 percentage point increase and Asian students a 6.1 percentage point increase.”
2. I had privilege of being on last weeks Leigton Smith podcast (his intro below).
“Alwyn Poole; Education & More.
“The first point on how to improve all things education in NZ is that, so long as any government thinks that they are the podium of truth in this area, they will fail and all improvements will be marginal (at best)”.
This was written by educational consultant Alwyn Poole.
While improvements in education are promising, there is significant room for growth.
Alwyn Poole is critical where necessary, but gives praise where warranted.
We reveal interesting details regarding a new school, a Covid story you won’t have heard before, and we visit The Mailroom with Mrs Producer.”
Alwyn Poole, a well-known figure in the New Zealand education system, he founded and was the head of Mt Hobson Middle School in Auckland for 18 years. This article was published HERE
2 comments:
It would be interesting to know figures from the 50s and 60s.I lived in a smallish rural town. I can recall only a very few persistent non attenders. But the maori/polynesian population was then very low. At secondary streaming applied and I can recall only one persistently absent. The family oveseas trip was then unkown.
I have only anecdotal knowledge on this . When I was at school in the 50s , in the South Island , I don't recall any persistent absences. There was a class roll call every morning. It was about a decile 6 city school. In those days home would have been so boring -no screens to become addicted to . School wasn't necessarily fun , but you were kept busy doing stuff . Not slop and entertainment as they have now . Who finds that fulfilling , long term ?
I have asked children why they were truant and bullying featured , or they under achieved and felt stupid, along with not doing anything useful there, stupid woke stuff and teachers being replaced with relievers all the time , meaning no consistent school work programme. '"I just hate school so much: everything about it ,''exclaimed one child . "During covid we did everything on our device , at home .Why can't we keep doing that?I do more useful things at home like cooking and looking after the baby. I'm no good at written work but they do nothing to prepare me for secondary school".
For all its endeavours in making it 'fun' and 'enjoyable ', modern education has lost the plot on what children actually like : challenging work , marked and corrected, useful skills like the three Rs done effectively and thoroughly ,strict routines, along with discipline. For children that is a secure , comforting environment . That was traditional Education. Educationalists have succeeded in city slum schools to improve attendance by introducing strict discipline and rigorous explicit , effective teaching .
Get rid of the permissive discipline, playway , child centered group work , project work , too much screen time cr**p. Stop blaming the home . Gaynor
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