Who's not here...? Working towards keeping "absentee students" at school

Publication Details

The report is presented in three sections. Section one contains the background to the study, the reasons for the research being undertaken, and a review of the most recent literature which to some extent has influenced the focus of the study. Section two covers the results of the study, and section three is a summary and conclusion to the study.

Author(s): Mary Donn, Ngaire Bennie & Jacqui Kerslake. Research and Statistics Division, Ministry of Education

Date Published: June 1993

Introduction

While this study covers most aspects of school attendance, its particular focus is on ‘unjustified’ or unexplained absences by students enrolled at a school. The study addresses the issue of those who fail to re-enrol on changing schools. The issue of failing to re-enrol on changing schools either at the same level (eg. primary to primary) or between levels (eg. primary to secondary) are discussed in the report. However, the question of the non-enrolment at school of children who are six years of age is not addressed.

The term truant is used loosely in this report as school themselves used truant and absentee interchangeably when referring to students who were absent without reason.

Throughout the report it is recognised that non-attendance at school is usually part of a larger problem, and any attempts to overcome it need a holistic approach.

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