Attendance matters#
School leadership, school boards, parents and the Ministry of Education all play key roles in supporting students to attend school – and addressing absence when it occurs. Lifting school attendance is our shared responsibility.
The STAR has been developed in line with the good practice identified in Education Review Office (ERO) evaluations and school indicators.
We know that school leadership, board stewardship, quality teaching, and educationally powerful connections will influence positive school attendance.
This year we will work closely with schools to develop and implement attendance management plans.
Plans will use the STAR and be tailored to meet the needs of each school community. Regulations relating to these plans will be progressed this year to come into effect for the start of Term 1 2026.
The STAR will continue to be improved as we learn from schools about what works best.
Understanding the STAR#
The percentage of students attending regularly is very low in New Zealand compared to many other countries. Lifting school attendance is crucial for future success.
The STAR:
- sets the direction so that no student will be left to accumulate absences without an appropriate response to return them to regular attendance
- will help us achieve the Government’s target of 80% of students present for 90% of the term by 2030
- tells us what should happen when students do not attend school.
It sets clear expectations that school attendance is a priority, and that:
- parents will participate in the supports offered, and work with the school, the Ministry and other agencies where required, to return children to regular attendance
- schools and the Ministry of Education will take action when student absence is a concern
- students will understand why attendance is important, and that their parents, teachers and leaders will support them to be at school and learning.
The STAR helps us all to understand what should happen when students do not attend school.
Under the STAR framework, any student who reaches a clearly defined threshold of days absent will trigger an appropriate and proportionate response from their school and from us.
Activities can include the prosecution of parents for absences if appropriate support is offered and not taken up.
The most important part will be, how schools use this direction to develop their own school specific response to attendance.
We will not prosecute parents of students who are absent because of chronic illness or health conditions associated with a disability, or who are genuinely engaging with a school and the supports offered.
This page will be regularly updated.
STAR trial insights#
In Term 2, 2025, we collaborated with 15 schools across Aotearoa to trial the Stepped Attendance Response – STAR. Alongside the trial, we also received 102 responses to a nationwide feedback survey open to all schools.
The trial confirmed that the STAR aligns well with what many schools already do to support attendance. By using the STAR’s thresholds, schools were able to set clearer expectations and communicate them more effectively with parents and whānau | families.
Schools reported that using the STAR brought greater clarity and consistency to their attendance practices. It offered a structured approach to escalating responses to absence, while still allowing flexibility to adapt the framework to their unique contexts.
During the trial, schools tailored the threshold actions to reflect their roles, values, and relationships within their communities. They emphasised that strong connections with students and families, and the ability to respond in ways that support those relationships, were key to the STAR’s success.
Revised STAR#
Feedback from the trial has shaped a revised version of the STAR, which is now available. The updated framework incorporates insights from the trial. Supporting resources have also been refreshed. These include:
- the updated STAR
- STAR in your school – examples demonstrating the use of the STAR in schools
- a blank STAR framework so schools can develop their STAR plans and local interventions.
Stepped attendance response - STARSupporting resources#
The below resources have been developed to help schools to embed the STAR in their practice.
Implementing the STARCommunicating with parents about attendance Individual Attendance PlansSTAR in your schoolBlank STAR templateSTAR framework survey#
To let us know how useful you found the STAR framework and supporting resources, fill in the survey below.
