Attendance

Good attendance to school is intrinsically linked to high attainment and positive wellbeing. Therefore, at Harefield School we place huge importance on our students attending school everyday.

It is very important that students aim to attend school every day, only absent when they are physically too unwell. Our school target for attendance is 96% and we set all students this target. It is a parent/carer’s legal responsibility to ensure that their child attends school regularly and is not absent without good reason. 

Research shows that children who attend school regularly are happier learners than those who miss school on a regular basis. Children who miss school often fall behind with their studies and can become socially isolated. We monitor attendance very carefully and you will be contacted if your child’s attendance falls below target. We want all Harefield students to be happy attending school and if you feel that your child is becoming reluctant to attend, please do not hesitate to contact their Form Tutor or Head of Year. 

Harefield School Absence Information

If a student is unable to attend school due to illness, parents should contact the school on the morning of absence, before 8:30am via this form. A specific reason must be given for the absence, the school may ask for medical evidence to be provided. 

It is an expectation that medical and dental appointments are taken out of school time. Missing lessons, even for medical and dental appointments, has a detrimental impact on student progress and achievement. The school recognises that it is not always possible to schedule appointments out of school time. On the rare occasion that a student must attend a medical appointment during school time, parents must notify the school in advance and provide evidence of the appointment.

Late arrivals and Early departures

If a student arrives late to school, they must sign in at reception before going to lessons. Arrivals after 9:00am will result in student's receiving an absence mark for the morning session in accordance with the updated legislation on school attendance. Students who are late without good reason will be required to complete a break time detention.   Any students leaving before the end of the school day for any reason must sign out with our school attendance officer before they leave. Students may only leave early if we have previously been advised by a parent by explaining the reasons.

Leave of absence during term time

Headteachers no longer have the discretion to allow time for a family holiday or to agree to extended leave for parents/carers to visit their country of origin during term time unless there are exceptional circumstances. Taking children out of school during term time means they would be losing valuable school time at the expense of their education. If your child is absent from school because of a holiday, which has not been agreed, then this will be classified as an unauthorised absence and may be subject to a fine by the Local Authority. 

Contact Us

Please use the relevant details below to contact our office.



Our office opens at 8am and closes at 4pm. Any calls after that will be tended to the next working day. If your child is a member of Harefield School, they will be able to contact their teachers by using their school Gmail account, or via Google Classroom.