Attendance

Attendance expectations

Westland High School has high expectation regarding student attendance, studies show a direct correlation between student achievement and attendance rates. At Westland High School students must attend every class at a minimum of 90% which includes whanau class.  The school follows the Ministry of Education attendance requirements.  Where a student chooses not to attend school and attendance falls below 90% they are choosing to remove themselves from participating in non-curricular activities such as sporting trips, koru games, ski trips, the school ball, etc.

Leaving school grounds

Students from all year groups are not permitted to leave the school grounds at any time unless they have a pre-approved lunch pass to a nominated address (not to go to the shops) or to attend an appointment i.e doctor, Physio etc. The APL’s Academic and Pastoral leaders are the only staff members who are able to issue lunch passes. Talk to the school office to request an application for a lunch pass as prior year passes do not automatically roll over into this year.  Students will need to sign out at the school office and sign in when they return using the sheet held at the school office.  

APL’s are : Year 7 & 8 Ms K. Veale, Year 9 & 10 Mr Talbot, Year 11 – 13 Ms S. Bateup.

Application forms for lunch passes are available from the school office.

Senior Study Classes

A student who has study classes on their timetable must ensure they are in the correct place at the right time, this affects year 11 to 13 students. Study classes are supervised by a staff member. 

Absence notification procedure

You can notify the school of absences in a variety of ways, through the School Loop App, Email: office@westlandhigh.school.nz or Email: judiththorpe@westlandhigh.school.nz, phone: 03 7556169 or Text: 027 755 6169. Please do not use the Facebook messenger app to contact the school about absences. For absences greater than 2 weeks leave must be sought from the Principal.

Absence definitions

Justified Absence – approved by the Principal to cover the following:

• National/local representation in a sporting or cultural event in New Zealand or overseas.
• Bereavement leave or exceptional family circumstances, at the Principal’s discretion.
• Illness

In the case of justified absence, teachers have a responsibility to assist the student to catch up on missed work or assessments. The student is responsible for liaising with their teachers and APL to organise this.

Unjustified Absence – where the Principal, via the office, has been notified by the parent/guardian that the student will be absent, but the reason for the absence does not fit within the Ministry of Education’s policy as a justifiable reason to take the student off school, i.e. travelling overseas, family holiday, etc.

In the case of unjustified absence, the responsibility rests with the parent and student. Teachers are not required to make special arrangements for students to catch up on missed work or assessments. This will mean that if a student misses an assessment, they may not be able to get these credits.

Absence due to medical reasons:

If your child is absent due to illness, please contact the school office.