Low attendance- I am very worried

[Easterbunnymum]

DD is in year 5 and I just found a letter in her school bag from school, saying they are worried about her attendance of 90% which is very low.

She did missed quite a few school days, but all were authorised by the school. She had two music exams, two private school exams, then a chest infection with two rounds of antibiotics before Christmas and a very bad diarrhoea and vomiting for 5 days just before Easter holidays. I called school every single day when she was sick and updated the school office. They themselves told me to keep her home for 2 days after her diarrhoea finished.

DD is top of the class in maths and English, in fact she is so advanced in maths she gets extra extension work printed just for her every week, she is a gifted musician and healthy and well looked after. I am now very worried about what’s going to happen. And we already booked an interview in another prep school, so will have to miss another day. Is it serious? How much should I worry?

Seriously, I despair. I was ready to take kids out to the park, found that threatening letter, panicked and posted here looking for advise and reassurance.

Can we please not concentrate on DD levels/11+ and discuss the consequences of low attendance instead? I am really sorry for mentioning it, I thought it was a relevant piece of information and I did not want to drip feed..

I think there is a coding issue as others have said - school visits, music exams etc can all be coded as education off site.

Thank you helpmum! I already downloaded a sheet with the codes and will call the school first thing in the morning. Feeling so shaken by the letter.