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What happens if you keep your kids off school once / twice a week and they are not really ill?

26 replies

charliecat · 30/06/2006 12:31

When does someone step in, and what happens?

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jampots · 30/06/2006 12:33

not sure. Are you planning on doing this or is it someone else?

Would strongly advise against it.

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expatinscotland · 30/06/2006 12:33

i think i'd home ed them if we needed that flexible a schedule as a family.

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ScummyMummy · 30/06/2006 12:33

depends on whether you are believed

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SherlockLGJ · 30/06/2006 12:34

That is a lot of birthdays.

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charliecat · 30/06/2006 12:35

Not me.

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Fimbo · 30/06/2006 12:35

Are you doing this? Or are you talking about someone else?

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charliecat · 30/06/2006 12:36

I knew someone would remember that Yes my kids do have 1 day a year off together, but we dont take holidays in term time and unless they are spewing/pooing or in obvious genuine pain I send them in...
...this is not me. 1 day, if not 2 a week off.
Wondering what happens when the days off are totted up.

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QueenEagle · 30/06/2006 12:39

I would imagine that if it was a regular day off each week then it would be noticed before long. The way the registers are done with the half lines for each morning and afternoon, right across the page would make a regular occurrence really noticable, wouldn't it?

Doubt it would go unnoticed for too long tbh. If the school wanted, they could involve Educational Welfare Dept.

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jamsambam · 30/06/2006 12:39

it says on thier report dosnt it?

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zippitippitoes · 30/06/2006 12:40

The school can ask to see the parents. The lea prompted by the school can take action. The ultimate sanction is with the lea.

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QueenEagle · 30/06/2006 12:41

Yes, there would be a print out of days absent on their final report.

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shoppingsecret · 30/06/2006 12:45

This reply has been deleted

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charliecat · 30/06/2006 12:57

Is there an amount of days or a percent or a line you have to cross?

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zippitippitoes · 30/06/2006 12:59

I think it'ss at the schools discretion but I think below 90% is likely to trigger closer enquiry

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cat64 · 30/06/2006 13:00

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cat64 · 30/06/2006 13:01

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lanismum · 30/06/2006 13:01

my aunts youngest boy (11) has always had a lot of time off school, rarely completing a full week, shes been in court, and fined, and has been told she will be fined £50 for every day he takes off, unless he has a drs note.

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littlerach · 30/06/2006 13:05

On the other hand, there may be a valid reson.

My stepdaughter rarely attended primary school for more than 2 consecutive weeks. This was at the schools discretion as her brother has CP, and her mother found it extremely hard to get one or both to school.
Dsd never got behind in her work and is now at secondary school. There is a slight leniency here towards her too, although they have begun to encourage her to attend unless there si a really valid reason now, as she is older.

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Mercy · 30/06/2006 13:11

Shoppingsecret at your friend's school

I would have thought the first step would be that the class teacher speaks to the parent to see if there is a problem at home which is affecting a child's attendance

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Gingeme · 30/06/2006 13:12

If the child is in secondary school the parents get charged per day off they have. If they continue to have days off or are found bunking the parents are taken to court, pay a fine up to £2000 and are sent to parenting school. Yes its true and no it didnt happen to me but I do know someone it happened to.

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DominiConnor · 30/06/2006 13:36

Seems to me that if your child is frequently unwell over a sustained period, you ought to be telling the school anyway.

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KBear · 30/06/2006 13:49

We had a note home about this and ASBOs were mentioned for the most persistent offenders .

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cat64 · 30/06/2006 21:45

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PanicPants · 30/06/2006 21:50

Our children are referred to the ewo (educational welfare officer) as soon as attendance slips below 92% (I think thats te figure) or if there is a pattern to it, i.e., a lot of fridays or mondays. The ewo will visit parents and take it from there.

Children are normally picked up on pretty quickly now. If the attendance is really poor the ewo will take it further and it'll end up in court if it doesn't improve.

Attendance fiqures are sent home half termly to parents and any unauthorized absences are questioned with a letter home.

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Mercy · 30/06/2006 22:06

Ok, fair enough cat64 and panicpants.

But isn't it also part of a teacher's job to be aware of unexplained and/or regular absences? Would you automatically refer this type of situation to an EWO without at least attempting to speak to the parent?

my dd has only just turned 5 so i haven't had to explain absences on a formal level . But really I was reacting to shoppingsecret's post - I still think it's OTT for a child of Reception age to be referred to an EWO. At that age they are ill all the time!

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