Attendance : Nursery school

[PipnJo]

Just after some advice.

DS2 attends a nursery attached to a school, so the Headteacher oversees the nursery as well. Is it correct that the attendance rules for Year R-2 should also apply to nursery? Eg: Unauthorised absences will incur a fine.
It was stated in their information when Ds started nursery, so we knew this was the case. But i'm wondering if it can actually be enforced at nursery age.

Thanks :)

[gatorgolf]

If a child doesn't attend then in theory the nursery can be asked to repay the funding so that is why they encourage attendace, our nursery has a clause about having to pay the funding to the nursery in this situation. However they didn't mind that we had a week off to go on holiday, it's prob just to cover things if attendance gets really poor and it's not due to something like illness

[PipnJo]

Thanks for your reply, this is literally just one day off. He's only had one session off this year, so i can't see how it should be a problem.

it's a case of, do i run it past the Head, or just keep him off!

[thisagain]

The law relating to absence and fining is for those of 5 and over.

[PipnJo]

Ok, great. Thank you. I thought that might be the case, but i wanted to double check before i took him out for the session.

[admission]

Nursery figures are not within the attendance figures for the school, so any absence would not count against the school in that context. This sounds like "operational creep" of what is appropriate in the main school being applied to the nursery

[itispersonal]

Children don't legally have to be in schools until the term after their fifth birthday so I highly doubt schools could fine for poor attendance when a child is in nursery.

A few of our nursery children have attendances in the 70 to 80%range and nothing is said to the parents.

[8reasonstohide]

Total nonsense. I know, as a (part-time) teacher, that children's attendance is not 'enforced' until the child is of legal school age - the term AFTER they turn 5.

MY son is in FS1 which is also attached to the school and the nursery teacher and nursery nurse actually support parents when they decide to take term time holiday or to have a 'day out'.

I often allow my son to 'bunk' off nursery school for a soft play date with friends, a day out at a local park etc or to visit relatives who live hours away. I do this so we can have these days and holidays as a family without having to suffer the extortionate prices during school holiday times and the mad rush of families doing the same thing at the same time.

Of course I wouldn't 'willy-nilly' take my son out of school once he started reception. But I would to support local industries (agricultural events in the summer for example as we are rural and it is a big part of our county and local infrastructure) or if family from far away were visiting as it isn't always possible to arrange family events with those who live on the other side of the world to coincide with your child's schooling because of 'Gove'. For the past few weeks, we have had relatives visiting from New Zealand for the first time in 7 years. The first time they have seen our children and likewise, the first time we have seen theirs. I won't hesitate to take my children out of school to spend time with family they rarely get to see.

[Naty1]

dds attendance at nursery is about 70%, mainly ear infections (4), so long because the gps cant tell its infected and the fever lasts over a week till the drum(s) burst.
and then this last week vomiting, including at nursery lasting 7 days!
so far no mention from nursery, but then we have loads of gp appts and AB prescriptions.
not sure if it is an issue with the funding if it gets too low

[PipnJo]

Sorry i'm only just coming back to this. Thanks for the replies. I was sure it would be fine, but the HT made a big deal about it in September saying nursery has the same attendance rules as the rest of the school. But, well, she's a bit questionable anyway. Ahem.

I'll just let the nursery staff know he won't be in.