At New Horizons Primary School, we believe that children need to attend school regularly and punctually if they are to take full advantage of the educational opportunities offered to them and make progress in learning and social development. It is always better for a child to be brought to school and we will monitor them and send them home if they are unwell. If your child is going to be absent from school, we ask that you telephone the school by 8.55am with a reason. If we do not receive an acceptable reason for your child’s absence, with evidence where appropriate, we will have no choice but to refer the matter to The School Attendance Team at Portsmouth City Council for consideration of a Fixed Penalty Notice.
From September 2013, schools are only able to approve leave of absence for exceptional circumstances. Leave of absence is unlikely to be approved for the purposes of a family holiday. There are some reasons for absence that under normal circumstances will be approved without any problems: attending a family funeral, hospital or medical appointments, for example. Even then, requests will only be granted within the bounds of a sensible amount of time.
Should you wish to put in a request for a leave of absence in term time, please request a form from the school office.