Education with Minister Jan Tinetti MP

Last Thursday I stood with Education Minister Jan Tinetti MP and other Labour MP’s, as she spoke to teachers, their families and those supporting their strike action. Calling for better pay and work conditions. Jan was a school principal herself and spoke of the Government's desire to reach a deal that acknowledges under-resourcing and the undervaluing of our teachers.

I’m married to a teacher, so know how real these challenges are and the passion that teachers have to educate and grow our children.

I also hear what teachers, schools and early childhood centres face, as I meet with them across the electorate.

I try to regularly meet with schools around the maunga, from Opunake Primary School, Rahotu Primary School to New Plymouth, Merrilands Primary School, Coastal Taranaki School and Piccolo Preschool. I'm making follow up meetings to touch base on some of our latest updates mentioned in detail below:

The Government is taking action to turn around years of declining school attendance, with a target of at least 70 percent of children regularly attending class in 2024. More on this, and other Government announcements, below.

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Attendance targets set to get Kiwi kids back in class

• It’s vital New Zealand children and young people attend school and get the education they need to set themselves up for life. But too many aren’t and this plan aims to change that.
• It provides the framework for a nationwide campaign to lift attendance and engagement, so that kids and young people are present, participating and progressing.
• We all share responsibility and have a role to play to reverse this trend and lift attendance back up. Parents and whānau are responsible for getting their children to attend and participate, while schools and kura have to be places where students feel they are safe and belong. There is a role for everyone in this plan.
• A new school Attendance and Engagement Strategy sets expectations and targets to turn around years of dropping attendance rates.
• These are:
• Increase the number of students attending school regularly from 60% in 2021 to 70% in 2024, (and 75% in 2026)
• Decrease the students who are moderately absent from 8.5% in 2021 to 6% in 2024 (and 4% in 2026)
• Decrease the number of students who are chronically absent from 7.7% in 2021 to 5% in 2024 (and 3% in 2026)
• Work is also underway to develop new targets for responding to unexplained absences, which will focus on school notification to whānau on the day of absence and further school action when unjustified absence continues.

“Our regional teams in the education ministry’s frontline Te Mahau will expand these efforts to support schools and kura to work more with their communities – including Māori, Pacific and disabled learners – and facilitate collective actions across our regional social services and school communities to design ways to help remove barriers.

“This mahi will build on the $88 million attendance package we announced as part of Budget 2022, that includes $40 million for a Regional Response fund and further improvements to the Attendance Service and Alternative Education.

• “We all share responsibility and have a role to play to reverse this trend and lift attendance back up. Parents and whānau are responsible for getting their children to attend and participate, while schools and kura have to be places where students feel they are safe and belong. There is a role for everyone in this plan,” Jan Tinetti said.?

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More Attendance Officers for schools

• The Government has launched a plan to get young people back into the classroom with more Attendance Officers in schools and more support for the Attendance Service.
• We know how important it is for young people to be at school and learning, so the Government is putting every effort into making sure they are. We are going back to basics on attendance.
• This package puts resources on the ground to support schools and students and make a difference to attendance rates this year. It includes:
• 82 new Attendance Officer roles established
• Further investment in the Attendance Service to support over 3000 more young people
• Commitment to improve and standardise attendance data.

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Campaign launched to support school attendance: Every School Day is a Big Day * (More below)

• Earlier this year, the Government announced it was committing $88m on existing and some new initiatives to get ākonga/students attending regularly so that when they’re at school, they participate and make progress.?
• The new funding was made in addition to the hundreds of millions spent during lockdowns on devices, resources, and learning from home support so children could continue learning remotely.??

*Every School Day is a Big Day. a nationwide school attendance campaign -?Launched 22 August 2022.

“This Government has laser sharp vision on the issue of improving attendance at school and that is why we are taking action,” Jan Tinetti said.

School attendance is a long term challenge, gradually declining across-the-board since 2015. That trend has been further accelerated by COVID-19. Only two in five kids attend regularly – or just 40 per cent. And even more of a concern was that only five per cent of kiwis considered attendance a top-of-mind issue.?

“I launched the Attendance and Engagement Strategy?in June 2022 which set some pretty tough targets. I want to see the number of kids attending school regularly increased from 59.7 per cent in 2021 to 70 per cent in 2024 and 75 per cent in 2026,” said Tinetti.

“The campaign supports practical measures to encourage attendance already underway by schools around the country.

“There are no quick fixes to attendance especially where there is chronic non-attendance. There can be many barriers but we are working with schools to help turn our school attendance rates around.

“Going to school regularly is our how our kids learn. It means they are better able to pass exams and get qualifications - that’s obviously important. But being at school also helps children and young people develop in other important ways. It strengthens their social, cultural and mental wellbeing. Attending school means that these young people will grow up having more choices.

“Together, parents, teachers, students and communities can make a difference. Together we can lower the number of students who are moderately absent and those who are chronically absent from 8.5 per cent in 2021 to 6 per cent in 2024 and from 7.7 per cent in 2021 to five per cent in 2024, respectively.

Jan Tinetti claims NZ has narrowly avoided a crisis in school attendance | Newshub Nation - Watch the interview on YouTube

Attendance definitions

• Regularly (more than 90% of the time, or 9 days a fortnight)
• Moderately absent (70% - 80%, or absent 2/3 days a fortnight)
• Chronically absent (less than 70% of the time, or missing three or more days a fortnight)
• The proposed fourth target, around notifying parents and caregivers, is subject to further work with the sector.