Andy England: Darfield High School Principal on the new truancy directive

Doubts many parents will be prosecuted for repeat truancy under a new Government directive. 

Associate Education Minister David Seymour's confirmed these parents could be fined up to $30 a day as part of a firmer approach on school attendance.  

Any possible prosecution cases will be referred to the Ministry. 

Darfield High School Principal Andy England told Ryan Bridge they have 28 students —or 3%— who could fall into the chronic non-attendance category. 

He says the vast majority have parents who are struggling financially or have health issues, and the ministry would struggle to prosecute any of them. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The government warned us about truancy. Now they're following through
the Ministry of Education is being told by Seymour, who's
the Associate Minister, prosecute parents who don't regularly send their
kids to school. Currently ten percent of our kids are
absent for fifteen days or more in a school term
and this triggers you red light and that triggers your
possible prosecution. Andy England at Darfield School principal with me

(00:20):
this morning. Morning.

Speaker 2 (00:21):
Andy, Well, Ryan, how are you yeah?

Speaker 1 (00:23):
Good? Do you think this will work?

Speaker 2 (00:26):
Well, it's interesting you're just talking about the UK. I'm
an evidence from the UK is that it won't. If
you look at England that find people there they basically
reported as not being very effective, whereas in Scotland, where
they don't find people, they get the same or better attendance.
So I mean the talk about attendance is making a difference.
Our attendance is certainly improving if you compare to this

(00:48):
year compared to the term one of last year, we've
got pretty substantially improved attendants And I think some of
the other response to the talk that's happening at a
national level. So I can't follow that, but absolutely. I
think this one's probably more about politics and not particularly
not particularly about education, because the research would say it's
not going to help.

Speaker 1 (01:06):
Yeah, but I actually reading between the lines, I don't
think they're actually going to end up prosecuting anyone. It's
you know, the ministry, we're not prosecute parents of students
who are absent because of chronic illness or health conditions
or disability, or who are genuinely engaging with the school.
Blah blah blah.

Speaker 2 (01:20):
Yeah.

Speaker 1 (01:20):
Yeah, I think it's more of a pr exercise.

Speaker 2 (01:22):
Don't you me too? And maybe it's okay in that sense.
But if you look at us that we look for you,
we have twenty eight students who could fall into that
chronic attendance absence, sorry, chronic attendance category in term one
of this year's three percent, and of them, the vast
majority of them, we're into those that their parents who
are struggling, they've got health issues within the family, the

(01:43):
student themselves, we reckon them. I'd be struggling to prosecute anything.

Speaker 1 (01:50):
Who's got the health issues the student or the parents.

Speaker 2 (01:53):
Is the health usual is the student, and there are
some good measures in place for those. I mean the
health school facility is a brilliant so but actually, in
my experience, most parents want to get the students to school.
There are a few, you know, very few cases where
that's not the case. Most parents want to get the
students to school. They've got issues at home, complex issues,

(02:16):
and I think we want to make a really big difference.
We've got to take it more nuanced approach early intervention.
If by the time they've got to high school is
that entrenched in these behaviors, it's not like it to
changed quickly.

Speaker 1 (02:26):
That's not three percent. That's interesting. Most of them sick though,
you reckon which which by the way, they wouldn't be called.
They wouldn't be prosecuted because if you have that chronic illness,
it's not it's not applicable. So yeah, all right, Hey, Andy,
sounds like at least all the talk is doing something
which is counterintuitive. But there we go, Andy England with
us from the Darfield School in just the principal there

(02:46):
at Dartfield School.

Speaker 2 (02:48):
Thanks Ryan.

Speaker 1 (02:48):
Thanks for more from Early Edition with Ryan Bridge.

Speaker 2 (02:53):
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