An attendance meeting at school for 5 days off since September

I work. DH works. Our kids have odd days off because they're not well enough to be at school.

What would be the point of stressing about it? A five year old being ill is entirely normal.

It's an OFSTED thing.
Schools get downgraded for low attendance, especially if they are seen as not tackling it proactively.

Its a tick box exercise. I got a letter about attendance and every single absence was for a medical appointment as my DD had a condition which needed lots of appointments and every absence had a letter confirming that.

I'd write an email saying i am unable to attend a meeting but I can confirm my DDs absences have been due to illness.

If she's ill, she's ill. Kids having lots of days off here are there can ring alarm bells, they are just checking in with you. It'll be all over in ten minutes, and then you can forget about it.

Yes.

Well mainly they want the kids to not be ill, but our school encourages us to 'try' with any illness (except vomiting or chicken pox etc).

Fever? Give it a try
Headache? Give it a try
Cold? Give it a try

etc.

You would have thought that COVID would have taught us to be more mindful about spreading illnesses

DD has had a week off with chicken pox and her attendance rate is 90.8%. Attendance for the whole class that week was around 50% as there’s been so much horrible illness around.

Ds has had 5 school days off since September so far, for chicken pox, can’t be helped, he wasn’t physically allowed to attend. He’s also got a weeks holiday booked for June, and any other days off he has to have for sickness between now and July. (Hopefully none) his attendance will be quite low by the end of the school year taking those factors into account..

(He had 100% attendance last school year, he rarely has time off for illness, other than Covid related a couple of years ago when they wouldn’t allow him in, he’s never had a day off poorly other than that, and he’s 10)

Quite frankly if his school pulled me for low attendance they’d be bloody hypocritical and they would be told so, he’s 10 years old and in year 5 and only been full time at school for 15 months (since the start of year 4) prior to that we had 4 years of illegal part time timetables due to his disabilities. At both schools he attended and the local authority were fully aware at all times. One ehcp annual review his attendance was 61% because he wasn’t allowed to attend for the full hours. Nothing was ever said and I’ve never spoke to an education welfare officer. So attendance is only expected when they initiate it.

That’s absolutely ludicrous. Five days for a five year old being battered by school germs doesn’t sound like a lot to me.

As many say, this is just a box ticking exercise.

I'd attend but just ask them why is this necessary.

Do the schools really want parents sending in kids who are not well?

I would send an email to the school and simply say "I do not believe that there is any point in me attending a meeting about my daughter's attendance given that she has always attended when well enough to do so. If you are saying that she is falling behind then we need a meeting about that - let me know your concerns so that I can consider matters before the meeting."

Or - if you're really brave - go to the meeting and the moment they say something about your child should attend with minor ailments turn it around and blame their policy of pressuring parents to send in sick kids as the reason your kid has been sick four times and missed school on five days as a result. Ask them what they are doing to ensure sick kids stay home so your daughter doesn't get ill at school forcing her to miss valuable education time.

This will be their policy if she's below a certain attendance %
5 days is quite a lot in that time, my 2 dc haven't missed 5 days of nursery combined in 4 years for sickness.

When was she 5? If it was after 31st August she is not yet of compulsory school age and I would suggest pointing out to the school that she doesn't have to attend full time yet.

Spreading the misery to other kids and families!

5 days since September does seem a lot. But if she’s ill she is ill. I’d go along and just say exactly what you’ve said on here that’s she’s been genuinely ill.

I know schools are under a lot of pressure from LEAs to improve attendance at the moment (figures have still not returned to pre-Covid levels) but some are taking it way too far.

Ours have demanded children go in unless have S&D or a temperature, which just isn't realistic. Who's going to force a teeny one with earache or a sore throat into school, in pain, just to please the attendance Police?!

I've had a warning letter for 6 days - 3 of which they know for a fact he was ill for as they sent him home ill from school and the other 2 for an upset tum and stomach ache.

They can, respectfully, stick that letter right up their butts and I'd be treating this 'attendance meeting' with the same level of disdain.

Genuinely sick kids do not learn well when they are forced into the classroom - the school just want a tick on the register!

5 days in 3 months is a lot and this will be their policy. They can’t treat her differently because she’s not falling behind.

Just arrange the meeting and explain that she was poorly. That will ensure the school are aware that you are open and supportive. There's no need to treat it like some sort of battle (one wonders why parents send their kids to school if they think they're such terrible places that they have to fight it at every opportunity). With 5 days off so far, your DD's attendance will have dropped to around 90% which is what has triggered the request for a meeting. It's a formality that you are far better engaging with for the sake of your DD.

@SleepingStandingUp - haha! Yeah, coz working parents are so superior! Or they send children in when they really ought to be at home (for their sake, and their peers).

Op go, don't be defensive just be v clear that you cannot send in a vomiting child, you're not doing anything to make her unwell and so the situation is what it is. Hopefully she'll not be so poorly next term.

Children of parents who work don't get sickness bugs or d&v? Gosh, is it the work ethic that keeps their kids so well??

It's ridiculous. I would make it as hard as possible for them ( meeting can only go ahead outside of normal working hours) and make a formal complaint in them of the ridiculous situation whilst being super polite. I like the idea of coming up with a load of suggestions for them. Basically make it a pita and let them leave them meeting with more work than they came in. Hopefully that will change this crazy policy.

If they're too ill for school that's that but I do think 5 days is a lot and you sound a bit blasé about it.

If you don't go to the attendance meeting, it will send the message that you don't care about attendance and that will make things worse.

Fwiw I do think 5 days since September is a lot, but ultimately if they're sick they're sick. I would engage with the meeting, as a pp said I think non engagement will be more of a concern than the sickness. It'll likely just be a chat, reiterate that everyone is on board with the sickness policy and that you're prioritising her education etc and doing what you can to get her into school.