“Creating a safe and supportive environment for your child”
Pathway to the Future
Our vision is to lead students along a pathway that challenges them to continually strive for new horizons, as we prepare them for the future.
Our mission is to provide pathways to access challenging, stimulating, quality education that creates self motivated, lifelong learners equipped for a changing world.
Attendance at Owairoa Primary School
At Owairoa Primary School, we want to successfully set our students up to be the best they can be, to thrive with their learning and wellbeing. Being at school every day matters. It helps children build confidence, connection and a strong sense of self and purpose.
In 2025 our school attendance for the year was 73%, so we want to improve this in 2026.
Our school goal in 2026, is to have over 80% of students attending at least 90% of the time, each term. This means having less than 5 days absent each term which will provide them with a ‘GOOD’ chance of success in their education.
Click the link below to see our Stepped Attendance Response (STAR)
STAR Response
Why is attendance important at Owairoa Primary School?
- High attendance is one of the biggest contributors for student achievement
- To participate and engage in learning – you must be at school
- Parents are legally required to send their children to school. It is the law!
What are the legalities around attendance in New Zealand?
Legislation states in The Education and Training Act 2020, every school board must take all reasonable steps to make sure students attend school when it is open.
As part of national requirements, all schools in New Zealand must have an Attendance Management Plan and a Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) Plan in place for 2026. These plans support regular school attendance by clearly outlining how we monitor attendance, work in partnership with families, and provide timely support when students are not attending regularly, helping every child to engage and be successful in their learning.
What is the school’s attendance goal/target?
At Owairoa Primary School we care about every child and their academic, social and emotional progress, and our Board of Trustees, knowing how important regular attendance is, have set a target of 80% of students being present for 90% of each term. Our aspirational target is 100% attendance for all students.
What are the implications of taking leave from school?
- Removing your child out of school during term time, for a holiday for example, severely impacts on their time at school and their ability to build solid foundations for their learning.
- If you do decide to take your child out of school during term time and your child’s attendance drops below 90% you will be contacted by the school and receive a reminder indicating our policy on attendance. We have also been instructed by Attendance Services Agencies that any attendance that drops below 90% should be referred to their agency. What this means is that this referral will be on your child’s record and will be indicated on their report.
- They struggle to form effective relationships with their peers and teachers.
What happens to your child if they have irregular attendance?
- High absenteeism = under achievement due to lack of skills and knowledge
- Disconnected from school life, eg, peer interaction, relationships with teaching staff
- Parents become disconnected and removed from their child’s education
Parents will be asked to meet the school to answer questions and an attendance plan will be written, to make improvements.
Why is being on time to school everyday important?
- Arriving at school on time each day is important. When children arrive on time it sets the tone for the day and they receive and are included in the administrative part of classroom life. This is when students get to hear communication about school wide opportunities.
- Being on time is also being courteous and respectful, so other students are not disrupted nor is the teacher.
What if I have a genuine reason for my child to be absent?
If your child is unwell we would prefer they are kept at home but please ensure the school is informed through our school website, on our ‘School App’ or by phoning the school office +64 9 538 0060. If your child is absent and we haven’t heard from you the office will be contacting you by 9.30am each morning.