Why would school refuse a call and insist on a meeting

[Insistingonit]

My dd is in year 5. Attendance hasn’t been good due to frequent illness. Once she got to 90% the school insisted on a GP appt to verify Illness each time which we did. We already supply the appt letters for appts in school time.

She is now at 88% . We have continued to provide proof of illness. They are insisting on speaking to us we agreed and said we will arrange a phone or video call. They said it has to be in person. Why? We are happy to discuss but don’t see the difference?

None of the explanations were good enough , and the vast majority of them were based on prejudice and made up facts , rather than the actual situation. That’s why.

Regardless whether she got an online appt or not - they should have met her in person. It’s usually part of policy for a reason. Safeguarding will always come over convenience for me - sorry.

If there were actual safeguarding concerns, I'd agree. Sounds like the headteacher who ultimately decided that an online meeting was acceptable once he was made aware about the situation also agreed that there were no safeguarding concerns.

What exactly are the safeguarding concerns here?

Why is it that people assume that there must be something else going on but that it can't be the school being overstepping arses.

Safeguarding from what?

Documented medical evidence showing that child was ill so what are you trying to safeguard against
School being a sesspit of germs? - this would be schools issue to sort and not the parents.

Safeguarding against illness? The family are already doing this by filling up and medical appointments to ensure nothing underlying going on.

Abuse? No evidence of abuse happening

Parents disengaged? Not a safeguarding issue but also parents have shown to be engaged by attending parents evening, being at school for drop off and pick up and providing the medical.evidence when requested despite the fact they don't have to do this by government own rules.

She’s off school with random iillnesses and you don’t want the school to see you with her in person. I know nothing about safeguarding but I think the school would be failing in their duty to allow an online meeting.

They see her every bloody morning. They saw her at parents evening a couple of weeks ago. They're the ones who've been sending her child home from school.

They see her every day at drop off and pick up, they saw her a few weeks ago at parents’ evening. How would seeing OP in person (without the child) in this meeting help anything?

The meeting doesn’t involve the child

The OP should decline all meetings as there is medical documentation for the absences, force them to escalate it, they won"t do this IMO. The OP should also tell the headteacher that their infection control is not acceptable and they need to get their house in order.

Yep. I'd probably do the same.

My son's attendance is actually lower than OP's child and his school have acted with far more common sense as it is also due to medical issues.

I think the OP was on this path from the start but seems to have set up a video call meeting (Head can pretend they are at a big corporate or have actual legal powers during that one) Will be interesting to know how the school explain the need for the meeting?

Methinks the lady protests too much

Methinks @Grendel7 is shit stirring