Attendance

Absence from School and Attendance

We appreciate that there are times that children need to be absent from school, however the research does show that missing 5%+ of a pupils school learning time can have significant impact on children’s progress and also allows gaps in learning to be created.  Please can we ask that during the school terms, you ensure that no trips or events are planned in school time. This will allow for your child’s attendance to remain within permissible limits and avoid intervention from the Local Authority attendance management team.

We thank you for your support in this matter.

From 1 September 2013, a change to government legislation meant that schools are no longer allowed to authorise requests for children to be taken out of school for a holiday during term time. 

Requests for leave can only be granted by schools if there are exceptional circumstances, and holidays are not considered exceptional.  Requests for leave must be made to the school Head teacher “in writing” in advance, as the Department for Education has told schools that they cannot authorise any absences after they have been taken.  A penalty notice is a fine to parents or carers if they fail to ensure that their child/ren attends school regularly. Leeds City Council is responsible for issuing penalty notices on behalf of schools in the city. 

We are proud that attendance at Harewood is good and is consistently above the National Average. This aids the ability of the children to learn and retain the key skills and knowledge that they will need to do well in life.

  

If you require your child to miss school for a reason other than illness please complete the form below or download and complete an Exceptional Leave form. This should be returned to the school office.

Leave-of-absence-request-form (PDF)

Leave of absence request form (Word Version)

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Illness

If your child is ill and unable to attend school, please ring the school office on 01132886394 and leave a message

or

send an email to office@harewood.leeds.sch.uk before 9am.