The way schools mark student absences has been criticised by a former Tauranga student leader and principal who say a more nuanced system could help schools “mobilise resources at the top of the cliff” for teenagers missing school.

The Ministry of Education says it is looking at ways to better support schools with recording attendance data.

Ōtūmoetai College’s 2022 Cameron Paratene approached the school’s principal Russell Gordon in September last year highlighting issues around what he described as “very vague” attendance codes.

“The attendance codes are too vague to give any detail or background into the real reason why a student may be absent.”

Attendance codes are used to mark student attendance or absence and include codes showing if a student is not in class on a school-based activity, late, or at an appointment.

Code M covers student absence due to short-term illness or medical reasons.

Paratene said his biggest problem was the codes did not give insight into the “actual reason” students were missing school. This was of particular concern for those not attending because of mental health issues.

After speaking with his mum, who works in an administrative position at a Tauranga school, he realised some students were missing school because of these issues.

Paratene’s mum told him these students were either being marked absent or parents would ask for their child to be recorded as truant.

He said he could relate to the problem, dealing with anxiety throughout his college years.

• Why we need mental health education in schools - Part 1
• Schools struggling to meet students' mental health needs
• More mental health help sought for schools
• Mental health workers to start work in Canterbury schools

“I would dread going to school the next day due to stress or pressure, mainly put on by myself. I found myself struggling to get to school either on time or at all.”

He said attendance data, which was used by the Ministry of Education, gave no insight into the issue of mental health in schools making it “much harder to identify it as a problem”.

There needed to be a code in place for students not attending school due to mental health issues, meaning data could be used to “prevent more problems further down the track”.

He said ignoring the mental health issues of young people was also a “catalyst for other social issues”.

Russell Gordon, principal of Otumoetai College. Photo / File

Ōtūmoetai College principal Russell Gordon believed the attendance codes were not fit for purpose, and “too ambiguous”.

“The attendance codes are somewhat of a blunt instrument,” he said in a written statement.

“A student who is not attending school due to high anxiety is coded in a similar fashion to someone who is sick.”

Gordon said the coding made it difficult for school staff and attendance officers to “accurately pinpoint exactly why a student is absent across the year”.

While individual situations could be investigated, this became “problematic” with large numbers of students.

Gordon told the Bay of Plenty Times Weekend that while attendance codes were not the “be-all and end-all”, having a nuanced system would mean schools could “mobilise resources at the top of the cliff”.

“If it is mental health we could get our counselling service on to that while they are still absent from school. Rather than them being away for a period of time then the work being done after the fact,” he said.

“There is no hard evidence that mental health is an issue at our school - but I know as a principal and as a dad that there are kids who are experiencing this.”

He asked older generations to not underestimate how the pandemic had impacted children’s mental health, saying they had coped astoundingly well given the circumstances.

“I have seen kids where life for them at times - the lack of hope breaks your heart. That would be my plea to readers - don’t dismiss these kids.”

Minister for Women Jan Tinetti. Photo / NZME

New Education Minister Jan Tinetti said ensuring children and young people were attending school and engaged was an “absolute priority”.

She said the Ministry of Education was looking at “ways to support schools with the way they record attendance data including the coding”.

Tauranga National MP Sam Uffindell, who met with Russell and Paratene late last year, said he was a “big fan” of the proposal and was even more impressed it was driven by a student.

“Giving data to teachers to understand why students are truant is invaluable and will help schools provide meaningful assistance,” he said.

Ministry of Education hautū (leader) operations and integration Sean Teddy said the current set of attendance codes was implemented in 2008 as part of a transition to electronic attendance registers.

This was done to bring “greater consistency” to the codes available in different school management systems and to ensure codes met needs around regulatory monitoring and resourcing audits.

He said as part of the ministry’s “strong focus on attendance and engagement” they were looking at ways to better support schools with recording attendance data - including the codes.

“Cameron is absolutely right when he says ‘ignoring the mental health issues of young people was also a ‘catalyst’ for other social issues. . Ākonga and learners who feel safe and confident in themselves and in their learning environments, engage more and achieve better outcomes in education, work, and life,” he said.

“Today, more than ever, students face many challenges with their mental and emotional health, and we need to foster their wellbeing and help them develop skills and competencies to manage their wellbeing.”

He said in March last year the ministry provided guidance to schools to support their attendance recording on the student management system.

Code M includes Mental Health Days - meaning the school could consider whether the absence was due to a mental health reason.