• What time should my child arrive at school?

Pupils are welcome to come into the school grounds from 8.45 a.m. onwards. Supervision is provided from this time.

• What happens if a pupil arrives after the school starting time?

Children who arrive after 9:00am should be brought to the main entrance and report to the School Office.

• Where should I park when I bring my child to or collect them from school?

Unfortunately parking spaces are limited in the school grounds. Parents are asked to park a few minutes walk from the school entrances. We endeavour to promote our school as a child safe zone. No vehicles except those with prior agreement with the school are permitted inside the school grounds during morning drop off and afternoon pickup times.

• Is child care available before or after school?

Yes. We run a Breakfast Club from Monday to Friday between 8am and 8:45am. We also have an After School 1,2,3 Club each day for P1 - P3 pupils between 1.45pm and 2:40pm. Both clubs are very popular and well attended. There are also a number of after school care providers in Holywood. Please contact the School Office for further details.

• What should I do if my child is unwell and unable to come to school?

Please keep them at home until they have fully recovered. When your child returns to school please send a written explanation for their absence via email, Seesaw or Google Classroom. The Department of Education closely monitors the attendance records of all pupils in school. We fully appreciate that family weddings or other exceptional circumstances may, on occasion, require absences from school but please restrict family holidays to our set holiday dates. These dates are available on the News & Events page.

• What are the arrangements for break-time snacks and meals at lunchtime?

Children must have healthy choices for break each day. Your child may wish to have milk each break time. This is part of the EU School Milk Scheme. Children may bring a packed lunch or purchase a school meal. The correct amount of dinner should be paid online using the school payment system, Eduspot. Please contact the School Office if your child is entitled to free school meals.

• Can my child bring nut products to school?

No. Holywood Primary is a nut aware zone because some pupils at our school have severe nut allergies. Always check the food that will be brought into school with your children, especially foods which may contain traces of nuts such as chocolate spread.

• Where can I purchase school uniform?

All pupils must wear the official Holywood Primary School uniform. It helps to promote discipline, respect, teamwork, equality and a feeling of pride. Many well-known retailers and supermarkets supply almost all items of our school uniform to keep uniform costs affordable. A school tie is the only item that must be bought from a specific supplier. Please ask Office staff for further details.

• Will my child be given homework?

All pupils are expected to complete homework. The amount of time spent on homework increases as they progress through the school. Details are outlined in our Homework Policy.

• How do I follow my child's progress?

Your child’s year group teachers regularly relay information to parents outlining arrangements with regard to topics, the importance of completing homework, class & school routines etc. Parent-teacher consultations are arranged during the school year to specifically discuss your child’s progress and areas for development. Home / school links are extremely important.

• How do I receive information from school throughout the year?

We communicate as much information as we can through this website, our email service and for time-sensitive infotmation, our text message service. This reduces the amount of paper and printing products that we use, reducing our impact on the environment as well as our costs. Where parental consent is neeed we still send notes home in paper form, so please check your child’s schoolbag!

• What do I do if I have any concerns about my child or wish to share additional information with the school?

Conact your child’s class teacher via Seesaw, Google Classroom or email. You can also contact the School Office. Your child’s teacher will contact you by phone, or if more appropriate, arrange a suitable time for you to meet with them.

• Can I volunteer in school?

We welcome parents, grandparents and members of the local community to come and help in school. If you would like to volunteer, please contact the School Office to arrange for the necessary forms to be completed.