Introduction

The monitoring of the highest attainment of school leavers is based on the annual 1 March survey of secondary and composite schools.  These statistics include all full-time regular students, full-time adult students and special education class students who left school during the period 1 March 2007 to 29 February 2008, to go on to further education, training, the workforce or other activities.  These leavers are described as 2007 school leavers.  This is defined more fully in paragraph 5.

The school leaver statistics in recent years have reflected a qualifications system that is in transition due to the phased rollout of the National Certificate of Educational Achievement (NCEA) between 2002 and 2004.

From 2004, all school leaver highest attainment statistics were based on the NQF/NCEA but the methodology necessarily involved mapping some attainment under the previous examination system to the NCEA context.

School leavers are defined as full-time, regular, Year 9 to Year 15 students and special education class students who have finished their schooling and last attended school on or after 1 March 2007 and before 1 March 2008.  Also included are full-time, regular adult students and regular students who have turned 15 years of age and have been granted an exemption from enrolment and who have finished their schooling. 

School Leavers do not include:

• Regular students who left school to transfer to another secondary school, become home schooled or went overseas permanently
• Returning adult students
• Alternative education students
• NZAID funded students
• Foreign fee paying students
• Exchange students
• Suspended students
• External students
• Part-time students
• Students aged under the age of 16 whose destination is unknown or
• Students aged under the age of 16 in a Children, Youth and Family Service residence or programme