Local schools deserve top marks for improved attendance figures in the first half of the school year, Waimakariri MP Matt Doocey says.

Attendance figures showed positive results across Waimakariri in term 1, he said, with 71.4% of students attending school more than 90% of the time, compared with 61.5% in 2023.

In the first term of this year poor attendance was also down to 4.6% attending less than 70% of the time, compared with 5.9% in 2023.

According to provisional figures, school attendance nationwide in term 2 was the highest since 2016, which was a fantastic achievement, he said.

“As local MP I am proud of the work our local schools have put in to ensuring students are best placed to achieve, and attendance is a big part of academic success.

“It’s fantastic to see these improvements in the Waimakariri, and I applaud parents for also getting on board to give their children the best opportunities to succeed with their education.”