Chronic truancy at crisis point as Education Review Office calls for reform [Video]

• More than 80,000 students missed more than three weeks of school in Term 2 this year. 
• The Education Review Office calls for reforms to address chronic absenteeism in schools. 
• Chronic absence has doubled in secondary schools and nearly tripled in primary schools. 

Tens of thousands of “chronically absent” students are missing weeks of school – and the Education Review Office (ERO) says it has reached crisis point. 

In the past decade, chronic truancy has doubled in secondary schools and nearly tripled in primary schools. 

A new report released today, “Left Behind: How do we get our chronically absent students back to school?”, reveals more than 80,000 students missed more than three weeks of school in Term 2 this year. 

The ERO, tasked with reviewing and publicly reporting on the quality of education and care of students in New Zealand, is calling out the system set up to get those young …