Chapter 15: The Primary School Day and Attendance Procedures

• 08:10 - 08:25 Children arrive at school, say farewell to parents outside the building and go straight to class.
• 15:00 All children are collected or leave the premises with a Gate Pass. No children should be on school premises after 15:00 unless they are involved in an After School activity.
• On Wednesdays, lessons finish at 12:30 for all Primary children, including Early Years children who still have lunch at school on that day.

All children have an outdoor morning playtime of 20 minutes. There is a 50 minute lunch break which includes time for eating in the classroom and for playing outside.

Arrival at School
Parents/guardians are welcome to use the drive through 'kiss and ride' or park and walk with their children into the school grounds. It is also possible to come into the school grounds by bicycle. Parents/guardians of Early Years children are invited into the classrooms until 08.30 to
participate in reading books. Early Years 1 parents/guardians are allowed into the Early Years playground in the morning to say farewell.

Collecting Children from School
Teachers will personally hand your child to you at the end of the school day, or to an authorised adult whom you have placed in charge of your child. Children should be collected from the front of school on the triangle (except for Early Years children, who are brought from the EY playground).
Please make sure all Primary children are collected by 15:00. Children not collected by 15.05 will be taken to the Primary Office and parents contacted.

Gate Pass
If you wish your child to leave school and travel home alone at the end of each day, you must request a Gate Pass for them. This can be done by completing the Gate Pass request form on the portal. This arrangement will be renewed annually and is only available to Primary students Years 3-6. Students with a Gate Pass must leave the school premises once dismissed and may exitthrough the front of school or through the Hungry Mind Gate at the rear of school.

Any child who has to leave school for an appointment during school hours must be collected by a parent or guardian who must report to the Primary Office and sign their child out. On return to school the child needs to report to the Primary Reception before returning to class.

Students are required to bring a packed lunch from home. During lunchtime, your child will be supervised by staff and lunchtime supervisors whilst they play and eat their lunch. Clubs and activities may also be held during lunch breaks.

Packed Lunches
Children are required to bring a healthy and nutritious packed lunch every day except Wednesday,
with the exception of EY who still require a packed lunch on Wednesday.

• Sweets and fizzy drinks are not allowed.
• All children should bring a refillable water bottle.
• We are not able to refrigerate packed lunches or to warm up food.

Birthday Arrangements

• Cup cakes or individual treats are permitted - we will send these home with the children.
• Please remember we have many nut allergies. No party bags are permitted.

Late Arrivals
Parents are responsible for the arrival of their children at the correct time. Following Dutch regulations from the Leerplicht, you will be contacted if your child consistently arrives late. You will be required to provide an explanation for their late arrival.

Children arriving late must report to the Primary Office. Persistent unexcused lateness will be followed up by the school. If your child is late six times in one term, the school will send you a letter. If your child is late twelve times in one term, then the school is obliged to inform the Leerplicht.

General Absence
If your child is not going to be in school, please email primary@ishthehague.nl before 08:20 on the first day of absence, copying in the class teacher.

If your child is absent for more than one day due to illness, an email needs to be sent each morning, unless we have been informed that their absence will be for a specific period of time.

Please note that the school will always contact parents if a child is absent. Regular or persistent absence will be followed up by the school as the school is obligated to inform any unexplained absences to the Leerplicht.

Please take note of our guidelines below on absences:
If a child has been ill for more than five (5) days, a doctor’s note should be provided to the Primary Office. If the child has several periods of illness, then the school will inquire about the absences. If the child does not adhere to the above criteria but ‘illness’ is a cause for concern (regularly sent home ill from school, absence during specific days/events, patterns of absence etc), the school will inquire about the absence. If the child is still absent, the school will inform the school doctor (Centrum Jeugd en Gezin, CJG) who will arrange a meeting with the parents/guardians. The School Doctor will inform the school of the next steps.

Medical Appointments
Parents should inform the Primary Office via email, copying in the class teacher, of any medical appointments indicating the time the child will be collected and returned to school. Parents report to the Primary Office to collect their child. Parents should drop off their child at the Primary Office upon return.

Special Leave of Absence From School
If a student must be absent for reasons other than illness, doctor, hospital, dentist or orthodontist appointments, a ‘Request for Special Leave’ form should be completed and returned to the Primary Office at least two weeks prior to the requested leave date. Special leave can be granted up to a maximum of 10 days per school year as long as it abides by the rules and regulations implemented by the Leerplicht. It is rare for special leave to be granted attached to a school holiday. Cheaper air fares and family vacations are not acceptable reasons for special leave.

Schedule of Events and Holidays
The school follows the Dutch regulations for the regional holidays. In addition, the school organises staff training throughout the year. Please be aware that students are not in school on these days.

The Holiday Dates Calendar for Primary and Secondary is available here. For an up-to-date schedule of events please log in to view our online calendar located on our Parent Intranet: www.ishthehague.nl.