Student Life
Opportunities to get involved, lead, compete and belong in the community.
Curriculum
A wide range of subjects designed to support every learner’s next step.
Attending EC
Explore what makes learning at Ellesmere College engaging, supportive and future-focused.
International Students
A welcoming school community with strong support for students from around the world.
Ellesmere College – Te Kāreti o Waihora
Attendance Management Plan
What is an AMP (Attendance Management Plan)?
Under the Ministry of Education’s framework, Attendance Management Plans (AMPs) mandate how high schools identify, track, and intervene when students miss school. Structured around the nationwide Stepped Attendance Response (STAR) guidelines, these plans require schools to record half-day attendance electronically and implement clear pathways to address non-attendance at specific termly thresholds, typically triggered at 5, 10, and 15+ days of absence.
Secondary schools rely on a combination of automated daily SMS/app notifications to caregivers, kaitiaki (dean) or pastoral care follow-ups, and targeted support to resolve underlying barriers to learning. By aligning school boards, staff, parents, and community support services, AMPs provide transparent frameworks aimed at driving towards the national target of 80% of students regularly attending school.
Key Components of a School Attendance Management Plan
- Digital Tracking & Daily Reporting: Absences are logged every period and submitted to central Ministry databases to flag emerging patterns of truancy early.
- Tiered Interventions (STAR Model): Responses scale based on missed days, moving from early caregiver notifications to formal whānau meetings, individual attendance plans, and potential referral to national Attendance Services.
- Shared Accountability: Plans outline clear legal obligations for school boards to publish plans publicly and for parents to communicate all justified absences (such as medical reasons).
Help us equip our students. For life.
Ellesmere College – Te Kãreti o Waihora new learning hubs are due to be completed in July 2026; however, we urgently need the support of our community to fit them out.
We have launched ‘Equip Us, our community campaign to raise funds to help our students learn, grow, innovate and succeed. To find out more or make a donation click below.
Ellesmere College-Te Kareti o Waihora is a co-educational school, grounded in family values and a community focus, offering students from Year 7 to Year 13 an exceptional education.
A small, family-oriented Leeston school, located amongst tranquil farming landscape and thirty kilometres from Christchurch, Ellesmere enjoys the best of both rural life and city advantages.
Ellesmere College-Te Kareti o Waihora is a place where every student is valued, supported and enabled to excel.
Passionate teachers, a nurturing environment and a student-focused approach inspires every student to be the best they can be.
