To be annoyed over school attendance letter

Or you could be a decent parent and keep your child in bed if they are too ill to attend school ..ring school and explain. What school would want a child full of germs on the premises, possibly puking or worse?!

The whole attendance issue needs common sense! My daughter has had a run of bad luck with one thing after another. She wasn't feeling well on Monday and asked the teacher could she go
To The office so they could ring me to pick her up. The teacher then looked at her attendance figures (95% should be aiming for 97%) and said no your attendance is not great!

She told me this at home not feeling well after school- I'm Sorry but if a child isn't well they arnt well! They shouldn't be looking at Attendance figures on whether a poorly child could go home or not!

Took her to the doctor she has flu

Whether you are well or not is down to pure luck!

Or you can ring the school and tell them he has a vomiting bug, like a grown up would do. And mention that you know this will affect his attendance % but that you’re happy to discuss with the school.

Speak to the school if it happens. That’s a low attendance rate, more than a 2 day bug, so it triggers a letter but each child will be assessed individually.
low attendance may mean others things - like the family is struggling for some reason and needs support.

My son is disabled and although he normally stays above 95% I once got one of these letters after a couple of hospital stays. I’d have happily wiped my arse with it. It went straight in the bin but not before emailing the LA department effectively telling them they can piss off and leave my son alone and that they are bullies in their approach. Why do they have to word it in such a threatening tone? They’re fucking vultures pecking at people going through enough already. We MUST kick back and say how this is unacceptable

You could ask for a later in the day appointment, after school? Half term, holidays?

At my dentist,you get an automatic appointment, once a year, and if you do not attend you get struck off and if you want to change it they give you one for six months time.

I’d call or go in to see the school secretary and explain exactly what you’ve said here.

Exactly. I mean at the very least someone's having to put the letter in an envelope and seal it? Surely that person should be given the discretion to put the letter in the bin instead of the post, especially if the child is known to be in hospital!

My DD11 Is in her last couple months of primary and this has been her worst absence 89% constantly getting something and I'm not someone who lets her off for nothing if she's got a cold but no fever I send her in. She's had 3 migraines, flu and a sick bug since August and sore tummies which I thought was her getting ready for her period. School must think I'm at it lol! Never had a letter or warning. X

I would email the school detailing why the late and non attendance so that you have a paper trail of proof, do that going forward too. It’s amazing how they can gaslight you into thinking it’s your bad parenting ( parent of Autistic child speaking from experience)

"Am I expected to just send him in?"

Yes, that's exactly what you are expected to do.

Good advice. Imagine if all kids wanted their appointments in the holidays (bearing in mind everyone struggling to get any appointments)
Also the policy makers live in cloud cuckoo land, their kids probably go to private schools and have private health care so just don't get it.(No restrictions on taking kids out of school if private)

Politely send a letter back advising if school policy had not sent said child home for 2 days, said child would have an attendance above 95%. Advise them that in future if attendance must remain over 95% not to send home said child when they have been sick and keep them at school to spread the germs amongst all the other children. They may want to invest in more sick bowls in anticipation of this.

My son has just had a second appointment through to see the Orthodontist. It's during school time. NHS, I get given a date and a time. There's little wriggle room. I can't refuse appointments, it's taken 2.5 years of being on the waiting list, to even see an orthodontist! Our normal dentist sees NHS patients on certain days and times - all during school time. Sometimes, you can't pick and choose, it's that simple.

Bin it. They are standard letters sent out automatically to parents, when their child's attendance falls below a certain level. The school doesn't have a choice in sending the letters, they are required too. I had one when my son was in Reception, as he'd time off due illness. Don't worry about your son being unwell in the next 4 weeks, he may be perfectly fine. If he isn't then, call the school and explain.

Authorised absences shouldn’t be marked down . Ask for their records and compare to your notes. But in reality 2x week absences with a big illnesses can put you in the letter zone.

Oh I’ve got one of these in the past. Perfect attendance then got really ill with a bad cold. I’m not going to send him in with a temperature and he belongs in bed. Believe me, it’s far more of a pain having him off school than in, for a working parent!
There are kids out there where poor attendance is a red flag that they need support, amongst other factors.
For the majority of parents though it’s just bean counting bollocks. Also, the attendance certificates get on my nerves too! Well done, you haven’t been ill! Probably the same kids who were sent in poorly and spread their germs far and wide!

I got one too. My child was off school due to them accidentally slicing the top of her finger off in a door on their premises.

I was really unimpressed after being so understanding about it in the first place!

I made an appointment with the head and received an apology.

As long as you tell school you have an appointment it shouldn’t be such an issue.

You should try working in a school… it’s a nightmare trying to get appointment's after work or in the holidays!!!! At the end of the day, you can only take what they give you, especially as hospitals/Gps won’t book very far ahead.

Had one of these for DS(10 - Yr 5). He has a very good attendance for every other year, but Y5 has been one thing after the other. I read it and filed it in the bin. He was off ill last Friday again and I didn’t really give two hoots. He was ill. The end. Don’t sweat it.

I think it's just a supply and demand mismatch. Parents are pressured over attendance, and orthodontic patients are disproportionately school age. People who have the skills can choose when they work, and they don't necessarily fancy doing so many later afternoons, evenings and weekends.

Even going private doesn't guarantee the availability of after achool appointments at our dental surgery.

I went private for DD's orthodontic work and was told that priority for after school appts would be part of that. Sadly when it came to it they just didn't have enough slots and I frequently had to take DD out of school.l while she was having her treatment.