Attendance

Watford Grammar School for Boys expects full attendance from every pupil. Unless he is ill, your son should be at school.

Exceptions to this general rule will be rare, but parents are encouraged to discuss any serious problems that are affecting or will affect a pupil’s attendance with a suitable member of staff. This might be your son’s Form Tutor or Head of Year, or one of the Senior Leadership Team.

Reporting Absence

We have a dedicated absence reporting line so that you can inform us when your son is not able to attend school. Please call or email before 9:30am on each day that he does not attend, not just on the first day. If you have done this on each day, there is no need to write a note when your son returns to school; otherwise, we will need a note on his return.

Absence line

Ring 01923 208900 

If your son is in school but not going to be in registration in the morning e.g. because of a music lesson, or route 121 support etc, he must inform his Form Tutor and sign in at the School Office for music or sign in at the class.

Punctuality

Watford Grammar School for Boys sets high standards of attendance. Students must leave home early so as to arrive on time, thus avoiding any unexpected problems with traffic on roads or buses and trains.

The School gates open at 8:00am. The first lesson starts are 8.30am. Students should be in their classroom and ready to start work at 8.30am.

If a student arrives at school late (i.e. after 8.30 am), they MUST sign in before they go into class, either at the West gate (until 8:50 am) or at the School Office after this. Your son should bring in a letter to the school office the following day explaining his lateness. Failure to do so may result in an “unexplained/unauthorised” absent mark on his register. Repeated late arrival will result in a late detention.

Please note: students travelling by car - parents and carers are not permitted to drive on to the school site to drop off or collect students without prior and special permission to do so, for reasons of health and safety. 

Appointments

Please avoid making dentist, optician, doctor or hospital appointments during school hours if possible. Appointment cards/letters must be provided beforehand if the appointment is during school hours and students must sign in/out at the school office. Please also make sure that your son is aware of the appointment (make a note/reminder in his planner if necessary). It is not possible for office staff to look for your son to remind him of his appointment.

Students in Years 7 to 11 MUST be collected by an adult. Please note that we do not permit any student from Years 7 to 11 to leave the school premises alone and appointments will be missed if no one arrives at school to collect the student.

Absence during Term Time

It is against school policy to take holidays during term time. If a student needs to miss school for any occasion other than illness or an emergency, permission must be sought, in advance, by writing to the school Attendance Officer.

The school has the authority not to authorise a request for a student to miss school for any reason.

The school does not and will not approve the removal of a pupil from school so that the family can take a holiday during term time.

General Information

It is your child’s responsibility to check the PE notice board concerning sports fixtures and to inform you of the date, venue and time for collection.  You can also access sporting fixtures on the school sports fixtures website.

Please only telephone to leave a message for your child in a real emergency. It is not possible for office staff to deliver non-urgent messages to students.

Please ask your son to come into the Office if he has forgotten anything that you subsequently bring into school. The Office cannot deliver items to individual children but will look after them until they are collected.