Comment
Hi Stephan
I have a question. The figure of 30,000 truants per day seems high to me.You know stats can say anything dependant on how the question is framed.
We note that some schools have not referred until a month later to worst case 11 months of non attendance.
What I am saying is schools are not sending referrals like they should.
We have asked why the delay or no action for truancy we have been told "we dont want to upset our parents"
They dont want parents removing children from their schools. Schools are scared of retaliation etc.
Losing funding for these children seems to be paramount.
The longer a student has been out of school the more resources and time has to be used to reengage the student.
We were given the termination date of DTS's yesterday, the 14/12/12 is it.
Cheers
George Waerea
REPLY
Greetings George
I am hearing this a lot from other District Truancy Service's, that some schools refuse to 'buy in' to the Truancy Service with their fear of loosing students and having to reduce their budgets as they may loose 'bums on seats' etc. I guess that's because of the way the MoE fund students in education. This seems more in the Primary sector. Especially 'small' country schools.
The system I use here in Central/South Taranaki, a modified ROCKON approach has Community, School, Police and Court recognition. This may all collapse when they try and implement a so called NEW system.
I believe that the figure's they are banding around of 29,000 to 30,000 off a day is false.
These haven't changed since about 2007 (I think).
As I have said before the question should be asked "are ALL of these kids off TRUANT"
Actually the answer is a big NO!! as the stats collected are incorrect. Some will be at the Doctor, Dentist, other things outside of school...they are just 'away from school' that day.
Politicians just love to use us as footballs a?
Yes a sad note that the District Truancy Services are being made redundant at the end of Term 4.2012. (and NETS)
I believe that the Government/MOE are making a huge mistake but hey...who's actually listening to us?
(The site bog is getting 86 hits a day average since 1/06/12 to 12/06/12 - someone is)
They call us the experts but they DONT listen.
They lie by saying that they are to MERGE the DTS and NETS.
They want 'collaborative responses' in our areas, but in mine. I am the ONLY person collaborating. So the 'outcome' of that will be???
I wonder how these people sleep at night actually.
They should be listening to what we are saying. All they had to do was 'Modify' the existing Services...simple and very little cost efficient.
They sound like the 'Blind leading the Blind to me!
I like most Officers in NZ have applied for 'other' work. and if selected may consider 'a change'. Sad after 13 years dedicated to the cause.
Oh well I'll get my teeth into something else a?
Regards
Stephan Dyer
________________________________________________________________
NOTE
This is a copy of the Act Truancy Officers work under
Section 31 Education Act 1989
Students required to enrol must attend school
(1)Except as provided in this Act, every student of a registered school (other than a correspondence school) who is required by section 20 to be enrolled at a registered school shall attend the school whenever it is open.
(2)Every board shall take all reasonable steps to ensure that students who are required by subsection (1) to attend the school whenever it is open do so.
(3)For the purposes of this section, a student attends a school on any day if, on the day,--
(a)it has been open for instruction for 4 hours or more; and
(b)the student has been present for 4 hours or more when it was open for instruction.
(4)Nothing in subsections (1) to (3) applies to a participating student who is enrolled at a registered school for the purposes of the secondary component of his or her secondary-tertiary programme, but he or she must attend the school for any portion of the programme as notified by the provider group or lead provider under section 31J.
Compare: 1964 No 135 s 117Section 25(4): substituted, on 21 December 2010, by section 7 of the Education Amendment Act (No 3) 2010 (2010 No 134).
This is the Introduction of the Request for Proposal (RFP)- Part 1
The Attendance Service will:
- Be responsive to the needs and aspirations of Maori and Pasifika learners, their whanau and communities in ways that value and validate the identity, language and culture of these priority groups.
____________________________________________________________
Pat Kake
Manukau City As an employee of one of the two services involved in the pilot, to inform the new intergrated service, i have to say that having been dealing with truancy in one of the worst truancy districts in the country for the last 15 years. I, in the pilot am finding that there are a lot of resources available to me in the intergrated service that didn't exist in the old model, and while my workload has lifted immensely in the new intergrated service, the resources available now are helping hugely to off set this. I feel i am able to now get better results, faster.
COMMENT
That's great news Pat.
I have perused some of the new paperwork which the MoE have put out. (Service Definition).
A lot of what is in there, we had in the past suggested to them.
It is great news for your area. Keep up the good work.
COMMENT
Hi Pat good news about what is happening for you but could you list the resources you are accessing. Lindsay Invercargill DTS
COMMENT
Another point made to me today was that the pilots should be successful as to the amount of funding that was injected into them...sd
ANOTHER ROLL-Over
Agreements have again been rolled 0ver - now until the end of Term 4.2012
SUBMISSIONS of Intent (New Service) Now on GETS
UPDATED (24/05/12)
Section A: Notice of Intent to Respond - 5:00pm 25th May 2012
this copy gives the MoE an idea of who is going to respond and for which areas.
This is NOT evaluated but provides them with an indication of respondents
- Notification of Intent to Respond due - 1st June 2012
- Clarification Period ends - 20th June 2012
- RFP Closing date - 12:00(midday) Friday 29th June 2012
A BIG Query?
How many Truancy Officers and their employers have read the latest REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL Part 1,2,& 3?
Is this all now in the "TOO HARD BASKET"?
I thought maybe it was a 'mini corporate' Document.
What do you think?
Comment Environmental Scan (22/05/2012)
Our provider asked us to fill in the Env Scan and if we dont agree we will not be given extra funds 5 figures were quoted.
So we have done as asked, but I have not signed it as I am against handing over 13 years of hard work for some other dude to have an easy ride, no way Jose.
You have my support.
Together we stand, divided we fall
"This is why the dts"s are marginalised.
We should have been as 1organisation.eg NZEI
George
Thanks for that comment George.
Yes I have to agree.As I have told the MoE It is seen by most Truancy Officers as Professional Theft, There is NO goodwill, and its totally unethical.
I am working on mine.
They will get a form of the E/S but some information will be withheld....sd
COMMENT (24/05/2012) George Waerea said:
Why dont the DTS's around the country go to their local paper with the headline District Truancy Services will cease to exist at the end of T4?
We must make a public statement,which will test the waters of public sentiment.
Since prosecutions have now been placed with Hastings schools there has not been one prosecution take place,even when advised by the DTS to do so.
I have a suspicion kiwi suspensions and removal from the school roll after 20 days.
These are of great concern to this T/O.
Interesting what you are saying here George. As I received your email I was talking with P Nth DTS about exactingly the same. Schools will be reluctant to prosecute....That's the job that we as a DTS have done...here we use the ROCKON process which I introduced some years ago......sd
25May 2012
WEll! I bit the bullet today and applied to run the whole of Taranaki's New Attendance Service.
I will base it at Stratford High School.
I guess its one hell of a lot of work now and a waiting game.
I guess I'm NOT the only one going for it.
COMMENT
171 hits on this site yesterday 24/05/2012 (averaging about 96 a day +)
Feel free to comment if you want. If you want privacy. Tell me.
I will publish your comment but NOT your name or profession.
Hi Stephan
I would like to wish you all the best and good luck with the new attendance contract?.I have had a feeling the existing DTS officers would not be wanted in the new service.
I think we are looked upon as dinosaurs in a failed system ( reading MOE material re DTS's).
Thanks for providing an outlet to exprees our thoughts and feelings.
Kia ora and God bless............ George Waerea
COMMENT
Thanks George.Hey the thing is. If we are dinosaurs, why do they want our Environmental Scans? Food for thought....sd