Absences and Attendance

Regular attendance is essential for every child’s learning, wellbeing, and future success. In line with current Government priorities, all students are expected to attend school every day, unless they are genuinely unwell or experiencing exceptional family circumstances.

Classes at Glenbrook School start at 8:30am, Monday to Friday. All students are expected to arrive on time and be ready for learning starting at 8.30am.

The Ministry does not considered an acceptable reason for absence: Holidays during term time, haircuts, buying clothes, birthdays, visiting relatives, family errands, or other similar activities are not acceptable reasons for being away from school.
If whaanau wish to withdraw a child from school during term time, written permission must be sought from the Principal in advance. These absences are strongly discouraged.

Students are not permitted to attend external tuition classes off site during the school day.

How we monitor attendance
– Daily electronic attendance is recorded in our student management system HERO and reported to the Ministry of Education.
– Classroom teachers enter attendance codes each morning.
– The office follows up all unexplained absences after rolls are submitted.
– Ongoing attendance monitoring helps us identify patterns of irregular attendance.

There is strong evidence linking regular attendance with higher student achievement. Whaanau whose children have repeated unexplained or unjustified absences will be contacted and reminded of the legal requirement for school attendance. Continued concerns may be referred to the Schools’ Attendance Service. The Principal provides a termly attendance report to the Board of Governors and the Ministry of Education.

You can view your child’s attendance at any time via the HERO Parent Portal. Students with frequent unexplained absences will be reported to Truancy Services, as required by the Ministry.

Notifying us of an absence
If your child is away, please notify the school on the morning of the absence, using one of the following:
– Phone: 09 235 3888
– Parent Portal: Submit via the HERO absence notification button
– Email: admin@glenbrook.school.nz
– Text: Reply to the school’s absence text message

Attendance and school opportunities
Attendance will also be taken into account when selecting students for: school sports teams, performance groups, education outside the classroom (EOTC) activities, leadership roles and other representative opportunities. Being at school every day matters. Together, we can support your child to thrive.