Attendance & Punctuality
We encourage all children to have excellent attendance at Northwood Primary.
Regular school attendance brings enormous benefits to individual pupils, their families, schools and the community as a whole. Without regular attendance, levels of attainment suffer and opportunities are missed to obtain maximum benefit from education.
Persistent absence and lateness will affect a child’s achievement and progress in school. Comprehensive research shows that there is a direct link between a child’s level of school attendance and their level of school attainment.
As a parent it is your legal responsibility to ensure your child receives a suitable full time education. It is your responsibility that your child attends school each day and is on time.
It is important to set the expectation of good attendance right from the beginning of school so children grow up with ‘good habits’
If your child is absent from school you must inform the school before 9.30am, by telephone (01983 293392), e-mail (office@northwoodpri.co.uk) or by letter, giving a reason for the absence. Absences once reported are either authorised or unauthorised by the school.
Authorised absences would include time off for religious observance, medical appointments and genuine illness. Please note that the school has the right to ask for proof of medical appointments and confirmation from a medical professional if a child’s level of absence is above that expected for a usually healthy child.
Unauthorised absences would include time off for birthday treats, family days out, holidays ….
If you need to make a medical or dentist appointment:
Medical appointments should where possible be made outside school hours. When this is unavoidable, your child should be in school for the remainder of the school day, whether before or/and after the appointment.
Holidays & Leave of Absence
There is no legal entitlement to holidays or leave of absence during term time.
A leave of absence can now only be authorised in exceptional circumstances. Holidays are not deemed to be exceptional circumstances and therefore will not be authorised. If a parent wishes to request a Leave of Absence then a formal request must be made stating the dates of the absence and giving details of the exceptional circumstances which they feel warrant the request. An electronic form for this purpose is available on request from the school office and any requests must be made in advance of the absence.
Lateness
Having good attendance also means being on time and not being late to school. Children who arrive late can feel embarrassed, left out and miss out on important introductions to lessons. Late arrivals also disrupt the class who are already learning. Punctuality is an essential life skill that needs to be taught from the very beginning.
