Attendance Policy Summary Families
At Hawthorns School, we believe that good attendance is essential for every child to make the best possible progress. We recognise some pupils face additional barriers, and we are committed to working closely with families to support regular attendance and remove any obstacles that may arise.
The information below outlines the key points of our updated Attendance Policy for 2025–26 so that all families are aware of expectations, support available, and the procedures we follow.
Our policy and procedures aim to
•Promote good attendance and reduce persistent absence
•Ensure clear systems are in place to identify and address concerns early
•Support parents in fulfilling their legal duty to ensure their child attends regularly
•Ensure every pupil has access to full-time education
We expect pupils to attend school regularly, arrive on time and be ready for learning. You can expect us to contact you quickly if your child is absent with no reason provided.
We will ensure attendance is recorded accurately and inform you if attendance drops below expected levels. Our team is here to listen, understand barriers, and offer appropriate support if its needed.
Reporting Absence, if your child is absent:
•Contact school on 0161 370 1312 before 9am on the first day of absence this should be by telephone (0161 3701312) or to the absence email address;
hts-student-absence@newbridgegroup.org
•Families will be asked to provide supporting evidence (such as appointment confirmation) when appropriate.
•We cannot accept information from taxi drivers / passenger assistants as a reason for absence.
•Class Dojo should also NOT be used to inform us of any absence
If no contact is received by 10.30am on the first day of absence a home visit will be initiated and, if necessary, we have a duty to request a police “safe-and-well “check.
There will be times when pupils will not be able to attend school and can authorise an absence. These may include:
•Genuine illness (medical evidence may be requested)
•Medical/dental appointments (evidence required; pupils should attend before/after where possible)
•Religious observance (usually up to one day per occasion, up to three per year)
•Exceptional family circumstances (e.g., bereavement) at the Headteacher’s discretion
There are some absences that we are unable to authorise, such as:
•Holidays that are not authorised
•Shopping, birthdays, missed bus, oversleeping, etc.
•Absence not explained to school
Requests for leave in term time
Requests for leave in term time can be made to the school. This leave will only be authorised in exceptional circumstances, at the discretion of the Headteacher, and generally up to 5 days maximum in a school year.
Parents must apply at least 2 weeks in advance using the Leave of Absence form available from the school office.
To date, Hawthorns has not had to initiate the use of Penalty Notices, however it’s important that all families understand that Tameside Local Authority may issue a Penalty Notice if absence becomes a concern with fines range from £60–£160, depending on circumstances.
Persistent Absence
A pupil is considered a persistent absentee when attendance falls below 90%. This significantly affects learning; therefore, further support and possible legal action may be taken if engagement does not improve.
This year our attendance target is 95% (at the time of writing our overall attendance is 92.6%)
Lateness
Our registers close at 9.20am; arrival after this time will be marked late. Persistent lateness will result in contact with parents and possible attendance monitoring and support. We follow a support-first model, working with families early to address any emerging concerns and support each child to attend and be on time where possible.
At Hawthorns we have a few pupils who access a part time timetable, as this is in their best interests. Often this means simply that they arrive slightly later or leave earlier as they cannot access home to school transport for a number of reasons, but this must be agreed with school, shared with the local authority and regularly reviewed.
As always – thank you for your continued support. If you have any questions about any area of this update or would like to see the full policy, please contact one of the pastoral team or me to discuss in more detail.
Thank you for your continued support,
Mr Curtis
Headteacher
Hawthorns School
