Student Engagement Initiative (SEI)
Established in October 2003, the Student Engagement Initiative (SEI) is a Ministry of Education programme designed to:
- help define best practice
- identify opportunities to improve policies and procedures
- contribute to a reduction in the rates of truancy, suspensions and early leaving exemptions in SEI target areas and schools.
SEI activities include:
- continuing the successful Suspension Reduction Initiative (SRI)
- localised investment and research in districts with high rates of truancy
- working schools to reduce enrolment exemptions for 15-year-olds
- obtaining information about school-initiated barriers to enrolment
- reviewing processes for the re-enrolment of excluded students
- evaluating processes for, and the effectiveness of, prosecuting the parents of persistent truants
- writing up best practice examples of attendance management for use by other schools.
As part of SEI, the Ministry of Education is currently working with individual schools to improve the levels of student engagement, reduce suspension and early leaving exemptions rates, and increase attendance rates.
All SEI developments will be updated on this website.
For information on local SEI projects designed to reduce school truancy, suspension and early leaving exemptions, contact your local Ministry of Education office.
For further information refer to http://educationcounts.edcentre.govt.nz/themes/schooling/
sus-stand-exc-exp-ele-2005.html
The Suspension Reduction Initiative (SRI)
SRI started in 2001 and is a 15-year initiative. The Ministry of Education works with schools with high suspension rates, particularly focusing on reducing Māori suspensions. During 2005 an additional focus on Pasifika suspensions was introduced. SRI has recently been integrated into the SEI work programme.
For information about SRI, refer to Suspension Reduction Initiative Report, August 2005 (Word 101KB).