Absences
Sickness
If a student is going to be absent because of ill health, parents/caregivers should telephone the 24 hour Attendance Hotline (06-759-8839) or email : student.services@npbhs.school.nz, preferably before 9.00 am on the day of the absence. The alternative to this is that students must, on the day they return to school, hand to Student Services a note from their parent/caregivers, explaining the absence.
If a student becomes unwell during the day, they must report to the sick bay at Student Services – boys are not to contact parents/caregivers themselves.
Appointment
Where a student has an appointment requiring them to leave school during the day, they should take to Student Services a note from their parent/caregiver or the appointment card, on the morning of the appointment or the day before, advising of the type and time of the appointment. This allows staff to complete the necessary documentation. Alternatively parents/caregivers may advise the school using the telephone number, or email address above. A pass will be made ready for the student to collect when he leaves.
Extended Leave
If you are planning to take your son out of school for more than 2 days during term time, please request leave in advance by writing or e-mailing the Headmaster. Emailed requests for leave are to be made to : office@npbhs.school.nz, with details of dates and the reason leave is required. Only the Headmaster can grant leave for exceptional circumstances. In the event that leave is not approved by the Headmaster, it will be recorded on your son’s records as ‘unjustified’, in accordance with the Ministry of Education code. (From the Ministry’s Guidelines on Attendance : Unjustified absence is an absence that is either unexplained or, explained but the explanation is not within the school’s policy as an acceptable reason for the student to be away from school.)
Whilst we endeavour to ensure all our students have every learning opportunity available, in the event of an absence, assessments may not be able to be re-scheduled. It is over to the student to ensure that he contacts all of his teachers in advance and gathers information about work he can reasonably do over the period of absence.
This is a formal requirement and the Headmaster responds to every letter, email or note. Copies of the correspondence to parents go to the Dean, Group Teacher, Student Services and, if a hostel student, to the Director of Boarding.