Attendance and Absences

Being at school and ontime opens doors to lots of learning opportunities, helps children build strong friendships, and supports social and emotional growth. To keep our whole school community healthy, it's important children stay home and rest if they are feeling unwell. We encourage children to be here and involved every day to make the most of all that school offers!

At Onehunga Primary School, we have clear procedures for recording and monitoring attendance. We work to identify and follow up on any attendance concerns. We make sure students and their whānau are aware of the attendance expectations, and our staff are responsible for reminding students about these expectations. You can find more information about our attendance procedures below.

Letting us know if your child will not be at school

If your child is going to be away for the day due to sickness, an appointment or any other reason, please notify the school as soon as possible by using the Hero app.

• There is a ‘Report an Absence’ icon right on the homepage of the app
  1. Click on the ‘Report an Absence’ icon
  2. Select the reason for absence (add in any message if you need to)
  3. Click ‘Send Message’ and you’re done!

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• If you cannot access the HERO app,  you can email office@onehungaprimary.school.nz or Phone: 09 636 6256 - you can leave a message at any time.

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• To sign up to the HERO APP - please click on this link

Please do not use Facebook to let us know your child will be away. This is not checked daily.

Can We Help?

Our aim is to work with whānau to get all children to school. Please don't hesitate to contact your child's teacher, Learnign Leader pr a member of our Sneior Leadership Team if you would like us to make contact ........?????

Lateness and Early Departure

Lateness

We understand that mornings can be busy, but it’s important for students to arrive on time. Starting the day on time helps them get settled and prepared for their day of learning. When students are late, it can be harder for them to catch up on important routines that help them stay organised throughout the day. Regular lateness can build up over time and affect their learning progress and confidence. We appreciate your support in helping your child arrive on time.

School Hours

Monday to Friday: 8.45am - 3.00pm (The first song bell goes at 8.42am for student to make their way to class). 

Leaving School Early

For safety reasons, students must follow the correct procedures when leaving school during the day. Parents or guardians need to sign their child out in person at the reception, using the VISTAB system. The reason for leaving must be clear and specific. If the reason doesn’t meet our criteria for a justified absence (see below), it will be marked as E (Explained and considered unjustified).

To make the most of their time in class, students will stay in class until a parent or guardian arrives. Once on site, the student will then be called to the reception.

Please also remember that only adults listed in our Student Management System are authorised to pick up your child. If someone not listed in the system will be picking up your child, please call the office at 09 636 6256 to inform us.

OPS Attendance Targets

Each year we set targets to increase both the number of children who arrive on time to school and the number attending. You can find out about these targets in our 2025 Annual Implementation Plan

Attendance Goals (Ministry of Education)

Attendance is closely monitored and categorised into four subgroups.

Regular attendance: students with over 90% attendance 

• Missing fewer than five days of school in a standard 10-week term

Irregular absence: students with more than 80% and up to 90% attendance

• Students missing 5 – 9.5 days of a standard term

Moderate absence: students with more than 70% and up to 80% attendance

• Students missing 10 – 14.5 days of school in a term

Chronic absence: students 70% attendance or less

• Students missing 15 or more days of school in a term

Our classroom teachers and office staff regularly monitor attendance patterns and will reach out to whānau to offer support in maintaining consistent attendance. If these patterns persist, the classroom teacher will refer the matter to the Senior Leadership Team, who will then contact whānau to explore further support options."