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Original poster

Bastard School attendance

49 replies

Mrgwl29 · 21/12/2023 06:43

Received a snotty letter from my eldest's school yesterday about attendance - he's had five days off for illness which has put his attendance at 92%. We always get him in otherwise, never late and no unexplained absence and he's doing well (reception year and has settled in really well and had good feedback from his teacher at parents evening).

What is the point of this? Am I to drag him in when he's vomiting? Or when he's coughing his guts up?

I know this is a well worn topic but man, it feels you can't do right for wrong as a parent sometimes!

OP posts:

Schoolrunmumbun · 21/12/2023 08:39

I used to lead on attendance at a school and the letters, fines, meetings etc were all mandated by law or by the local authority. As a school we had zero day over how we applied the systems. Frustrating. I used to make sure to speak to parents and add context and a bit of humanity where I felt the blunt instruments were harsh.

In other cases chaotic and negligent parents were held to account for the sake of their kids which was needed. Sometimes the parents ended up getting supported because of the processes as well.

In your situation OP I would find the letter annoying and ignore it.

BabyYoshke · 21/12/2023 08:42

Our school has basically sent a blanket letter saying they are forced to send these letters and they don’t take into account individual circumstances. (IE ignore at will). Such a waste of resources.

rockinginarockingchair · 21/12/2023 08:46

Schools were ridiculous when mine went i think they have gotten worse over the years.
I'm so pleased i dont have to deal with schools now.
One of the best days of my life was when both my children walked out never to go back.

Interested in this thread?

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Reallybadidea · 21/12/2023 08:47

If your son is in reception then he's not even compulsory school age so the letter is even more pointless.

AshleyBlue · 21/12/2023 08:50

You're nicer than me. I'd blame the school! So they've got targets. And? There's a law says they have to send out shitty letters as a result is there? Erm...no. That's their choice. Bin it. It's totally pointless. The rubbish parents who deliberately take their DC out of school won't care. Only the decent parents will feel guilty...for their DC being ill!

Grimpo · 21/12/2023 08:56

Soontobe60 · 21/12/2023 06:56

That’s not correct. In my school there are 74 school days in the autumn term, 56 in the spring term and 60 in summer. A total of 190 days. Attendance is calculated on half days though. So 74 days becomes 148 half days. 92% is 12 half days.
92% of spring would be 9 half days, of summer would be 9.5 half days.

Show quote history

But percentages are calculated on the basis of school days to date from the beginning of the school year. Therefore if a pupil has 92% attendance at the end of the Autumn term but no further days out, the percentage by the end of the year is a lot higher.

Lancelottie · 21/12/2023 09:00

CeriB82 · 21/12/2023 07:33

I get text messages from school about attendance . Just last week my son was absent. he had mock exam . In the hall. With a room full of other people.I ignore all.

My son once managed an entire term of absence, according to the attendance letter.

Except he hadn't. As an adaptation to his autism, he went to a separate space during registration every day!

I do wonder what they did with any actual information about his attendance.

CarterBeatsTheDevil · 21/12/2023 09:02

My kid is in the same position because she was off ill for a few days. The percentage absence is relative to this term only and it's at 92% which means they have to record it as "concerns" but they have reassured me that they don't actually have concerns and know that the percentage will improve over the next two terms. This is all about government targets on attendance. I'm not remotely worried about it.

Original poster

Mrgwl29 · 21/12/2023 09:04

@BabyYoshke this is what gets me most. It's just a pointless box-ticking exercise which doesn't address the fundamental issue.

The families where poor attendance is due to neglect/abuse/mental health reasons aren't actually getting the support they need because schools aren't social services and social services are massively overwhelmed. So the letter will do fuck all, while also pissing off the parents with kids who are fine and asbestos for typical illnesses. Just breeds I'll feeling for no reason.

I have a family member who works with children in a pastoral role and their bug bear is families with chronically ill children getting these letters. Just so unhelpful.

OP posts:

BananaSplitsss · 21/12/2023 09:06

We get these . A lot. I happen to keep my
children at home when they’re poorly. Lots of parents don’t . Hence the cycle of illness ( but parental selfishness and entitlement is a whole other thread).

I used to get worked up . Now I think bollocks to it.
We are just one of a number in schools and in the grand scheme of things no fucks are given about us.
It’s all a box ticking exercise and really fucks me off. I blame the trust and the government and OFSTED.

Take it with a pinch of salt op.

Have a glass of Baileys and Merry Christmas! 🎄🎅

InflatableSanta · 21/12/2023 09:15

crumblingschools · 21/12/2023 08:24

It’s tough and you can blame OFSTED. But persistent absence is a huge problem in schools and getting worse since lockdown. And it impacts attainment.

Obviously, if your child has been off for genuine reasons it is annoying to get these letters.

I have attended a few webinars on how schools can try and reach out to parents to improve attendance without pissing some parents off whilst still being successful with improving attendance and fulfilling OFSTED requirements

I just think it would be good if the letter acknowledged that there might be good reasons for absence, whether that's illness, hospital appointments etc.

I also feel the letters land quite badly post pandemic. We had no contact from school for 6 months and minimal effort in the lockdowns that followed. I paid for tutors at great expense (as DH and I were both manic at work in areas related.to the pandemic response). I value education. But my children get ill easily due to chronic conditions, and this is made worse because other parents send their children in when contagious.

CrispsandCheeseSandwich · 21/12/2023 09:17

If I got one of those letters I'd stop reading as soon as I realised what I was. As long as I was comfortable that I was sending my child in whenever I could, I really don't care.

DD came home yesterday with a 100% attendance badge which I also don't care about. "Well done for not getting unavoidably sick" 🙄 (I didn't show my dislike of this to DD, as she's only 4 and has just started school).

Finteq · 21/12/2023 09:21

At my youngest school.

They give out colour coded letters every half term.

So green if above 96%.
Yellow if around 92-96%

And red if below.

I'm not 100% on the bandings.

Last year she had green, then yellow and then red for the rest of the year. She had a few days off because she was so unwell- in Reception. But nothing you can do about.- the worst is if they have an early morning appointment.

Even if they are back at school by 9.30- it counts as a full day off.

Rainsdropskeepfalling · 21/12/2023 09:29

We got a letter saying DS attendance was 74.57%

After checking with him he hasn't been bunking off I wrote and asked over what period they were calculating their statistics (to two decimal places). If it was over the one day he was ill, he would have had 0% attendance ...

The attendance officer wrote back and said they didn't know over what time frame the statistics was calculated and they would follow up with their IT department as it might be a mistake... You think?

If you work with numbers, understand where they come from.... ?

crumblingschools · 21/12/2023 09:34

@Finteq that should be one session not one day absence, they should get marked in for the afternoon

Natsku · 21/12/2023 09:56

Mrgwl29 · 21/12/2023 09:04

@BabyYoshke this is what gets me most. It's just a pointless box-ticking exercise which doesn't address the fundamental issue.

I have a family member who works with children in a pastoral role and their bug bear is families with chronically ill children getting these letters. Just so unhelpful.

That's a problem, there's no point recording absences and sending letters if they aren't also doing something about cases where it is an issue. How it works where I am is that if the child hits 90 hours absent and the absences aren't something that the teacher knows to be ok (acknowledged illnesses a few times, holiday booked with permission, that kind of thing) then the headteacher makes a child protection report and social services try to find out the root cause and how the child and the family can be supported to attend school more or if alternative provision is needed (for instance children with chronic illnesses might be supported to study at home on worse days)

HelpMeGetThrough · 21/12/2023 10:01

We used to get the for the youngest. He gets really bad tonsillitis and would be off.

I knew what it was, didn't bother reading and safely stored it in the circular filing cabinet in the kitchen.

Allthescreens · 21/12/2023 10:05

Attendance awards frustrate me. DS2 will never have 100% attendance because he has to have regular hospital check-ups for his epilepsy. Also, as the medication he has been on has affected his concentration at school, the SENCO encouraged me to get a paediatrician review for him. Which will be in school hours, so he won't get 100% attendance. Oh well, makes me feel less guilty when I take him for a hot chocolate on the way back to school, because the appointments are pretty gruelling for him 😏

Jules912 · 21/12/2023 11:09

Our school do seem to have some discretion. Last year my DS had some horrid flu thing he just couldn't shake and relapsed every time he went back and seemed better. In the end he had nearly 3 weeks off, resulting in an autumn term attendance around 75%. School didn't say anything as up until that point his attendance had been very good, but I can see how they don't have that history with a reception child. He didn't get ill again and finished the year with attendance over the threshold.
My DD has SEN and has lots of medical appointments, but I've never had a letter.

LonelynSad · 21/12/2023 18:14

CeriB82 · 21/12/2023 07:33

I get text messages from school about attendance . Just last week my son was absent. he had mock exam . In the hall. With a room full of other people.I ignore all.

They sent a text saying he was absent when he was taking an exam? That doesn't sound right. Are you sure he actually went?

LonelynSad · 21/12/2023 18:17

SomeoneYouLoved · 21/12/2023 08:13

This is one of the joys of home education, prioritise well being above achievement.

Most people have to work!

BananaSplitsss · 21/12/2023 19:07

They clearly like you. Are you on the PTA by any chance?

CeriB82 · 22/12/2023 19:39

LonelynSad · 21/12/2023 18:14

They sent a text saying he was absent when he was taking an exam? That doesn't sound right. Are you sure he actually went?

Show quote history

Well of course he went! They would have certainly called otherwise. His attendance is today at 100%.

school can’t be seen with low attendance.

Mumto2kids86 · 23/12/2023 18:11

But then we moan at schools etc for not spotting a child we is being abused or neglected. Obviously not suggesting your child is but the school need to do the due diligence as to why your child is off.

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