An attendance meeting at school for 5 days off since September

Absolutely ridiculous. I don’t understand why schools are being run like military academies at the moment.

This doesn't have to turn into a big deal.
5 seperate days off has triggered a process for below acceptable attendance or cause for concern attendance.
They are simply checking in and ticking a box.
Explain you are more than happy to attend on x date and time or via teams on x date and time.
Explain you are doing whats best for child, other children and staff etc job done.

So do I. It is unfair on the kid, the teacher, the class and their respective families. How many school-acquired illnesses have led another to hospital, led a parent to long term sickness, made a teacher unable to work again, hurt a baby, led to behavioural issues (e.g. from covid infection) etc.

Hardly missing anything? Really?

Schools are under pressure to kerp attendace up. Monitoring closely is obviously the wsy to do it. Your meeting will obviously show up as being geuine reasons for her absences and that there are no other worrying factors. You have nothing to worry about but feel encouraged by their vigilance

Attendance at secondary schools is shocking since covid. I had a pupil today tell me in a lesson before lunch that they wouldn’t be taking their mock exam that afternoon - their mum was picking them up at lunch because they didn’t feel well. They were absolutely fine! They have an attendance rate of less than 70% and wrote all over the front of their first mock paper saying ‘you haven’t taught me what’s in here, it’s not fair making me take this test when you haven’t taught this stuff to me’. I have taught everything that’s in the paper - they just haven’t been in school for it! How is that MY fault??!! Some parents just let their children choose if they want to go to school or not - it happens A LOT at secondary school and is having a huge impact on academic outcomes, particularly for disadvantaged pupils.

My mother had this attitude when I was a child. We almost never had days off school. She used to tell us that sickness was just “weakness of character”. I remember once being so sick I vomited all over the floor of the classroom and the teacher was furious. I was so embarrassed and thought it was all my fault. As an adult I’m a severe people pleaser and what people might call “workaholic”/ “over acheiver”. I also have extremely poor mental (and now often physical) health. I am unable prioritise self care and it has severe consequences for my wellbeing. I will raise my kids to put their health first- personally i think there’s no better “ life lesson”.

Christ, tell them you're busy that day. She's 5 years old hardly missing anything, they catch everything at that age

I wish more parents would keep their sick children off school! It’s a joke. Children can’t help being ill. If they get d&v that’s two days off.
Go in calmly and explain why she was ill. I would even write it in an email exactly what was wrong so there is evidence incase they deny anything.

Because we have to follow Local Authority regs. Why do you ask?

I received a letter from the governors from my child’s school informing me that they were concerned about my daughters attendance. She was only 5 and had been poorly quite a few times. I reminded the head that the chair of governors had taken their children out of school to going skiing and I didn’t hear anymore!

It’s not personal but is essential for schools to be doing this sort of stuff. Don’t be the one to decline, they’ll only want to be nipping any sort of poor attendance habits in the bud (not that you’ve said this in your post btw). In our school, attendance is monitored very closely and only has to fall below 95% before we look into it. It’s all thanks to Ofsted 🙃

My DD’s attendance dropped below 70% and I was told to provide evidence of her sickness from now on. I just told them to go and speak to their medical office as I sent her in every day, and they ring to collect. The next time they rang I said no to picking her up due to this, see how she goes. They rang back to say she’s crying, come and get her. It’s ridiculous as she’s predicted a sweep of 9’s for GCSE’s in spring, she’s just had a bad time during puberty with health issues but works at home even when sick.

I think the teachers are damned if they do and damned if they don’t! This school has a particular policy of checking up on kids who are absent for 5 days or more in a term. What possible harm is there in talking to the teachers? They are not going to suggest your child goes to school when they are ill. But next time some poor kiddie suffers from neglect, just watch people complain about the inactivity of the teachers. As I say, dammed if they do and damned if they don’t.

Decline the meeting OP, another poster quite rightly said about the correct term start and poor DD has had bad sickness which most likely came from school, so i would not have been in a hurry to send her back regardless of attendance tick boxes if that was my D5yr old. They do it to us all the time as adults, some of us even still have to do meetings spluttering over the phone while we are sick at home on our 'Day Off'! They should Leave little ones to be poorly in peace and when rested and recovered then send her back - they'll be going to work with cold fevers and allsorts without a choice soon enough, just to survive and pay these rotten energy bills. Hope she's feeling millions better OP

It is a way to look out for signs of possible neglect. Absences from school are one of the very many potential signs, so it is good that schools are showing due diligence and addressing any concerns they may have. Not attending a meeting will just raise further flags and you may end up with the schools attendance officer knocking on your door. The local education authorities monitor attendance and start asking questions when attendance drops below a percentage. Schools have been back roughly 13 weeks now. 5 days absence works out to be about 92% attendance. You will have hit a trigger. There are so many bugs and viruses going round at the moment, so most of the time it can’t be helped. I work in a school and the staff have been dropping like flies.

That’s the rules from the Council.

Maybe I’m a harsh mum, but I don’t have time off work sick so I don’t let my kids have time off school (unless rules dictate such as chicken pox, vomiting etc). My kids are in years 7 & 10, and since the have started school in reception have had less than 5 days off each in that time. I’ve not had a day off in 18 years. If I’m ill, I just plough on through. I can’t afford time off sick

Don't take it personally. The School are obliged to do this if attendance drops below a certain number and Social Services get freaked out too.

They just need to check that everything is ok with you - it's making sure your kid has enough food and warmth too in a way so they can be aware of any issues.

It's probably because due to the number of days so far your child's attendance has dropped below 90% (11 weeks of term and your child has missed one). This is something the school HAVE to do to not be negligent. You need to attend to show there is nothing for them to worry about.

@Ofa excellent idea! x

4 different occasions of illness since September is quite high tbh so it will have triggered a box ticking exercise. I would just go along, don't worry about it but maybe look at whether your daughter is getting enough sleep and vitamins to boost her immune system against school bugs.

I had a call from school as my DD had 6 days off in October - she broke her leg - they knew she had broken her leg and had seen her hobbling on crutches and a boot for weeks later and yet I got a call to discuss her attendance. Bonkers!

Even if the reasons are genuine, 5 days in 12 weeks is a lot. But that’s because she’s 5 and building her immunity. Can’t be helped

You say she isn’t off all the time but five days in less than a term IS off a lot. For context, my year 11 DS has had less than 10 days off his whole school life! My DD who had an ear condition never had 5 days off in one term.

While you think ‘she is only 5’, school will be thinking, she is ONLY 5 and this is how she is staring her school career.

Poor attendance affects the school and other pupils who will get less attention from the teachers or TA’s who are trying to catch up pupils who have been off.

whatever you think, those are the rules set by the local authority and the school must comply