All students must attend school unless they have a valid reason not to be there.

OneSchool Global rules state that attendance is compulsory and our student attendance is also audited by the Ministry of Education (MOE). The Ministry has very clear guidelines on “justified” and “unjustified” student absence. Any absence from school impacts negatively on a student’s learning. Unjustified absences also impact on OneSchool Award student nominations, Top Scholars, Honours and Dux awards for senior students; and may mean the difference between receiving an award or not.

Messages can be left on the school answer phone and must include the reason for the absence. An explained absence could still be deemed an unjustified absence. For instance, if you simply explain that Johnny will be away today, that is considered to be an unjustified absence.

For parents this means that you must always contact the school (your local campus), by phone or email (provided below) by 9am when your child is away and give an explanation of why they are away. If this is not received by 9am, the school is legally obligated to locate the absent student(s). 

Clarification on what is considered justified and unjustified is provided by the Ministry of Education. They are as follows:

Justified
· Sickness - this allows for a day or more away from school.  Sickness longer than 3 days may require you to send in a medical certificate for your child.  Hospitalisation is also covered by this.
· Doctor, dentist or hospital appointment—these may mean you need up to half a day off school.  A whole day for this is not justified.
· Time off for exceptional circumstances— bereavement, extreme weather conditions, accident, road closure.
· Study Leave as authorized by the school for senior students (this happens prior to external exams in November).

Unjustified
· Holidays - these are classified as unjustified absences. 
· Time off for study, this includes staying home to finish assignments - our school is very well equipped to help your child with all the study work they have. 
· Time off for driving tests, to look after siblings who are unwell, dad needing help at work, shopping or tiredness. 
· Unexplained (and therefore unjustified) absences can be marked as truant when no reason is given.

Please note that any NCEA Assessments missed due to an unjustified absence will result in a 'Not Achieved'.

For further clarification on any of these points, please contact your local Office Administrator;

Mrs McCartney, Invercargill (03 928 5123) linn.mccartney@nz.oneschoolglobal.com

Mrs Smith, Dunedin (03 489 5193) meronea.smith@nz.oneschoolglobal.com

Miss Macintyre, Timaru (03 929 2548) roz.macintyre@nz.oneschoolglobal.com