Because they put the 2 days my dc was off as unauthorised without telling me.
My dc has 92% attendance, below 90.1 is in in the red, above that is in the yellow, above 96 is in the green. My dc is yellow. We have been plaqued with illness, a bereavement etc this school year, the school are well aware, and we have explained in detail in writing the reasons to the attendance officer who was fine at the time, and didn't give a letter. All dc's previous attendances have been authorised, and for things that she couldn't come into school with, required doctors visits, things like chicken pox etc. I don't keep her off for minor colds, and things she could come in with. We always ring in, explain, and make medical apps outside of school hours where possible, don't take holidays in school time etc. Minusing off the bereavement, and the minor reasons the school themselves sent her home, the attendance percentage would go up a little too. Without those, the attendance certainly isn't irratic, or anything either.
Last weekend dd got really unwell with a fever, wasn't eating, Monday morning raging sore throat, white in back, headache and chills. I rang school as soon as the lines opened to inform, took her to the GP, who gave antibiotics. I checked the app, and saw that the school had put her down as unauthorised. I rang up to ask why they had done this. The woman said "how do you know it is unauthorised", I said I have seen it on the app." She transferred me through to somebody else who said they gad told the attendance officer it was strep, has she been off before, I said yes, but not unauthorised, she said they would change it. They didn't, and proceeded to put her down as unauthorised on Tuesday too.
I sent them a lengthy email with pictures of the antibiotics gp label, explaining it all, contagious until 24 hours after antibiotics started, etc. They finally changed both days to authorised, I took the medicine down to the main office as they are administrating to dd every lunch time.
I sent a complaint through querying their policy, asking why they hadn't informed me it was put down as unauthorised, why they hadn't given me the opportunity to supply the evidence they clearly required. I also queried why this was suddenly happening on the final week, when dd had been in all term, and 100% attendance certificate received for this. They have never marked her as this before. All they said was "we sent you a 2nd letter saying all future absences would be unauthorised." I told them i havent received tbis mysterious letter, and can they send it through to me, they have failed to provide it. How can they do this, when they haven't asked for evidence? Her attendance isn't even in the red! She is 7yrs old, and in year 2.
Surely this cannot be right? Have they penalised us because of the football on Sunday, and it being the last week?