NSW government launches ad campaign to boost dire post-Covid school attendance rates

An advertising blitz urging parents to send their kids to school is coming to your TV screen and TikTok feed, in what the Education Minister describes as “a wake-up call”. WATCH IT HERE

An advertising blitz urging parents to send their kids to school is coming to your TV screen and TikTok feed from today, as the NSW government ramps up efforts to get 20,000 public school students back in the classroom.

Preliminary attendance data from the Department of Education for Term 1 shows some improvement in the number of kids regularly showing up for school since last year, when the average attendance rate dropped back to 85.7 per cent but the rate remains well below pre-Covid levels.

The NSW government’s Every Day Matters campaign will see ads run for two months across social media sites including Facebook, Snapchat and Instagram, free-to-air TV streaming services, YouTube, and radio stations.

Education Minister Prue Car said the campaign serves as a much needed “wake-up call”.

“Good attendance is vital to help students develop a sense of belonging, maintain friendships and do well in their studies,” she said.

One of the social media ads the NSW government will use as part of a campaign to boost school attendance. Every Day Matters. Picture: NSW Gov

“Students who develop positive attendance behaviour in Year 7 are, on average, three months ahead in their learning by Year 9.”

The ads will also be targeted to regional communities, culturally and linguistically diverse, and Indigenous audiences.

The ads will target Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities. Picture: NSW Gov

“It’s our job to ensure we get kids back into classrooms where they belong, learning and reaching their full potential,” said Premier Chris Minns.

A daily attendance dashboard will also be created to help school leaders identify trends and reasons why students aren’t showing up.

Attending school is compulsory in NSW but only 44 per cent of students in government schools did so at least 90 per cent of the time last year, with Covid, illness and flood disasters sharing the blame. NSW public schools have a target of a 95 per cent attendance rate.