Consider sending the student home#

A stand down starts on the day after the decision is made. You may decide to send the student home on the day the decision is made if it is reasonable to do so. If it is not advisable or possible to send the student home, they should be supervised at the school until the end of the school day.

Consider the age of the student and the circumstances of the parent/s when making this decision.

From the next school day, the student may only attend if you agree.

Calculate the length of the stand down#

A stand down may be for 1 or more specific periods. You must decide how long that will be. However, a stand down may not exceed 5 school days per term. A student may only be stood down for a total of 10 school days in a year. Do not count the day you stood the student down or any day the school is closed during the stand down.

To help you do this, ENROL records the number of days a student has been stood down per term and per year (including previous schools in the current year).

Tell a parent#

You must tell the student’s parent (unless the student has turned 20):

• that the student has been stood down
• the reasons for your decision to stand down
• how long the student is being stood down for.

You do not need to tell the student's parent if the student has turned 20.

To help you do this, you may wish to use model letter template 1, 'Notifying parent/s or caregivers of stand down'.

Model letter templates

You should also consider calling a parent.

Tell the Ministry of Education#

You must submit the “advice of stand down” electronic form in ENROL.

Provide stand down pamphlet#

As soon as practicable, you must give the student and a parent the Ministry of Education pamphlet, 'Stand down information'.

Parent information sheets

Keep student on the school roll#

The student must remain on your school roll. They may only be removed if they:

• enrol at another school
• are granted an exemption from enrolment
• leave the school system altogether (if over 16).

Guidance and counselling#

As soon as practicable, you must take all reasonable steps to ensure that the student gets guidance and counselling that is:

• reasonable
• practicable in all the circumstances of the stand down.

To help you do this, consider:

• one of your aims must be to minimise the disruption to a student’s attendance at school and facilitate the return of the student to school
• what will help reduce the chance of incidents reoccurring.

Consider attendance#

The student may attend school if the student or a parent asks you to allow that for whatever reason, and you consider that the request is reasonable.

The student must attend school if you reasonably consider that it is appropriate because:

• of the student’s educational programme (the student might need to fulfil course requirements for a qualification or sit an examination) or
• the student needs to receive guidance and counselling.

Otherwise, the student must not attend.