Attendance & Punctuality

Attendance and Punctuality

At Hawksworth Wood Primary, we strive to secure the very best education for our pupils. Regular attendance at school is vitally important in helping pupils reach their academic potential, develop socially and emotionally as well as developing a range of life skills which will support them as they leave our school and start the next phase of their education at secondary school.

Research clearly demonstrates the link between regular attendance and educational progress and attainment. Children who frequently miss school often fall behind and they may find it challenging to make the expected progress in their learning. Regular absences may also lead to children finding it difficult in maintaining friendships and they can feel isolated from their school community.  Hawksworth Wood staff will work together with pupils and their parents/carers to ensure that all pupils have full and equal access to the opportunities and experiences offered by the school. We will ensure parents and carers have the support they need so that their child achieves the maximum possible attendance.

Attendance Challenge:

This year, we have launched our new attendance policy and Hawkey, our attendance champion has a 97%+ Attendance Challenge!

What should I do if my child is absent from school?

If your  child is absent we expect parents/cares to contact the school as early as possible to inform us as to why their child is absent.

Please contact the school on tel 0113 258 3984, selection option 3 and either leave a message or speak to a member of the pastoral team.  

Holidays in Term Time

From 1 September 2013, a change to government legislation means that schools are no longer allowed to authorise requests for pupils to be taken out of school for a holiday during term time.  In line with the Government’s amendments to the 2006 regulations, holidays during term time will NOT be authorised.

Only exceptional circumstances warrant an authorised leave of absence. Parents/carers should make any request well in advance and in writing (a form is available from the school or from the school website). Requests for absence for reasons such as compassionate leave, special family events, sporting or musical competitions, etc., should be made in the same way.

All requests are considered individually, taking into account the circumstances of the request. Other factors will be taken into account, such as:

• the time of year the pupil will be absent
• the attendance record of the pupil 
• the number of previous requests for leave of absence 
• the pupil’s ability to catch up 

Click here to download the Exceptional Leave Request Form

Click here to read our full Attendance Policy