Is this extremely petty of my children's school?

I'm so glad my kids are adults now. I would be picking them up at lunchtime sod their attendance figures. If a parent rarely takes their kids out of school it shouldn't be an issue. I hope you made the appointment on time.

It shouldn't go down as an absence as they were there when the afternoon register was taken.

People saying to take a different appointment: sometimes you can't or have other commitments at half term or they are full up.
Ten minutes isn't going to make any difference to their education at all.
It's just them being petty ( as some schools are )

This reminds me of this, they were talking on the radio the other day about taking children out of school for things including holidays and a person rang in saying that his son lives in Germany and they the police actually are at the airport to ensure that you don't take your kids on holiday during school term. i couldn't believe it then googled it and found this -he man on the radio says its very true
Living in Germany: children out of school early get parents fined » { design@tive } information design (designative.info)

Dd has a million medical appointments and it’s impossible to avoid missing school sometimes. We just get the note when we are at the appointment and turn it in to the school the next day.

it matters at her age because unexcused absences mean any work for the day is recorded as a zero. Otherwise I wouldn’t care. I didn’t bother in primary school. I just reminded them she was medically fragile and they had to deal with it.

Yes, it is petty, however, it's half term next week, so could you not have very reasonably made an appointment for Tuesday?

They must take the register at an unusual time.

Taking children out for appointments is disruptive and when I worked in a school office it was a right pain.

Yes, but it's not always possible to get appointments out of school time. Understandably those are the ones in highest demand (even those without children might prefer an end of the day appointment if it's easier with work). I've got to take half a day of annual leave in a couple of weeks for a hospital appointment for DD2 that I had no control over the timing for.

I'm aware it's disruptive. But sometimes it's just necessary.

Bonkers!

They said that without it, it would go down as an unauthorized absence.

My response to this would be a shrug, and then I'd pick them up at 15:05. They're being ridiculous.

It's petty and officious but I wouldn't spend anytime worrying about.

Yes it's absolutely ridiculous

Sometimes it's necessary to attend appointments in the day, get over it. Let parents decide

I faked it

I changed the contact name for my work phone in my personal phone to "optician" "dr" "dentist" and wrote out a text. Screenshot it and sent it as proof. That worked

Taking children out for appointments is disruptive and when I worked in a school office it was a right pain.

For everyone though. I have to take my daughter once a week to the hospital, the whole thing takes about six hours. I don't want to do it either.

And our dentist you an appointment once a year. If you can't attend, they won't reschedule under any circumstances whatsoever. You just have to miss a year.

How can it go down as absent when the afternoon register has already been taken?!
normally they don’t care much if they make morning + pm register.

It’s very petty for the sake of 10 minutes…my daughter’s head has previously let her leave half an hour early for horse riding not even essential appt!

When did all this happen, schools behaving like the Gestapo?
My kids attended school mid 90s to mid 2000s and it was never like this. No interrogations for a couple of days off sick, no issues with taking your kids on holiday a week before term ended.
It's bloody ridiculous!!

Taking children out for appointments is disruptive and when I worked in a school office it was a right pain.

I try to get appointments outside school when every possible but many services like NHS orthodontist and hospital it's take it of leave it and best I can do is avoid actual exams times.

Dental and opticians I've usually managed to get outside school hours but every so often with dental it's been more urgent and it's a take what you can get situation.

I think it's a pain for everyone in such situations.

The receptionist doesn't know what she's talking about. There's no mechanism for a 10 minute early pickup to be an "unauthorised absence" they take the register after lunch and that's the official record. It wouldn't be changed for the child leaving 10 mins early. Collecting your child early is fine and you just go ahead.

This.
They will already have been marked in for the afternoon session. Bothering to put this down as unauthorised absence would be silly.
It does nothing for their attendance figures…
I’d bet money they don’t.

it would go down as an unauthorized absence

Does it matter?

My Dc are current getting this from secondary school and college because they are on site in exam halls - it's just daft.

I had similar with primary receptionist - after HT and teacher had okay literally and it was only 10 minutes early mid week last week of summer term- did have proof but she still argued as appointment was outside school hours so I had to explain travel time - luckily another staff member came in said child had 100% attendance all year it's agreed kids stood waiting in classroom door wtf at receptionist - we had to run and ended up slightly late.

Secondary - leave pupils waiting other side of locked door - some receptionist won't get up to open - so just have to wait for random staff member I've literally been stood in reception after jumping though all their hoops my child behind door waving and taxi waiting till some random staff member walks though - what's infuriating is kids truanting have no problems leaving site. You end up building in faff time - meaning kids lose more lesson time.

Taking children out for appointments is disruptive and when I worked in a school office it was a right pain. The chances of the teacher remembering is remote so either had to remember (and we had so much other work and phones ringing). or the parent would come in and often get annoyed at the time it was taking to go and track the child down and wait while they gather their belongings etc.

The police state is with us! What utter bollocks!

Oh I feel your pain. It can get so petty some times. My son had to have open heart surgery in February and be out of school for 6 weeks. Before then he had had 100% attendance. The school made me get a letter from the hospital and when I asked for this, I was told that was the first time anyone had been asked to prove they were having this major surgery!. Sometimes a bit of common sense is needed

Petty and someone seems to really enjoy having that power. Sorry you are dealing with this @PumpkinSly it's truly ridiculous.

What?! How have they even got time to care?? This is ridiculous!