Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be pissed off with this text message from the school..

100 replies

WorzselMummage · 27/06/2011 13:46

"last weeks school attendance was very poor at 90%. We need to aim for a minimum for 95%. Please send your children to school every day. If we feel your child is too ill to be in school we will send them home"

How's about fuck off.

It's really riled me. My DD was a 100% attendance this term anyway but surely parets are in the best position to decide what it best for their own children.

I get PISSED OFF when DD gets ill because some other parent has sent their child to school when they obviously ought to be laid on the sofa feeling sorry for themselves.

What is the sense im sending children to share their germs around Confused

OP posts:
paddypoopants · 27/06/2011 15:01

Probably it's nothing to do with kids being sick but as someone above says people may be taking their kids out of school near the end of term to go on holiday and the school are completely pissed off with the parents phoning them in sick. The text maybe a warning to other parents who are intent on doing the same thing in the next few weeks. I know a few people who are doing this at the minute and it's pretty bad form. 10% sickness rate is pretty bad. Unless of course there's some sort of an epidemic in your part of the world.

RustyBear · 27/06/2011 15:10

Someone at the school I work at actually asked the (friendly) OFSTED inspector why they were getting so hot on attendance - the reply was on the lines of 'it's a reflection of how much the pupils enjoy going to school, and therefore how good the school is...'

As for a letter saying the absence was 'necessary', in some parents' eyes that could cover anything from pneumonia to 'can't be arsed to get up' - I suspect that Triggles mum would not have won against our secretary....

In fact it is useful to know what is wrong with a child, so that we can spot tummy bugs etc and do a bit of hygiene reinforcement - there may also be an immune-compromised child at the school whose mum may need to know what's going about - we had such a child at the school until very recently.

The letter doesn't have to be long, as long as it has the relevant information - the classic often quoted at our school simply said 'X wasn't at school yesterday because he had the runs' - graphic, but sufficient!

WannaBeMarryPoppins · 27/06/2011 15:38

But Rusty, if there is a mum who needs to know than that should be explained. I think a simple 'is ill' should be enough otherwise. Of course necessary is different for everyone, but I don't think details need to be included when calling in.

I do think that letter the school sent is very cheeky though. I would tell them that you are not happy with the tone of it, or they will think it's ok to belittle you.

Triggles · 27/06/2011 15:52

Rusty - you have never met my mum, so I wouldn't be so sure about that if I were you! Grin And as far as the reason? I will tell them the reason they are not coming in - as in "too ill to attend" or "ill and contagious"... but that's all they need. I would have been humiliated in school to take a note saying I was absent because I had "the runs." If there is a child that is immunocompromised in the school, I would imagine they are fairly vigilant protecting that child as much as possible regarding the regular "run of the mill" illnesses (colds, flu, D&V bugs) that crop up all the time in schools. And hygiene reinforcement should be a regular thing in primary schools anyway - it's always a good refresher for the children. Still no compelling reason for the school to have all the particulars other than "the child is ill." The only exception would be IMO for head lice, chicken pox, and reportable diseases such as measles, mumps, and such.

hocuspontas · 27/06/2011 16:06

Doesn't 90% for the week mean that 1 child out of 100 had 1 day off (two registration sessions)? Doesn't sound that bad to me.

hocuspontas · 27/06/2011 16:07

No, that's rubbish. Ignore me. It's the heat.

BabeRuthless · 27/06/2011 16:09

Considering the time of year, maybe it was aimed at parents taking kids out to go holiday or for long weekends. My DN's school are MEGA strict on that whereas DS's school allow 10 days.

syrupfairy · 27/06/2011 16:11

these bloody messages get on my nerves!! the children at our school get 100 per cent attendance certs so a punishment to those children who are sick. YANBU

spookshowangel · 27/06/2011 16:11

i ignore all cack like this. from a school that stopped certain children from taking there sats because it would effect their figures be to traumatic for them,i decide when my children are to unwell for school or if there is any other reason they dont go and i dont give two shits about the schools attendance figures.

cupofteaplease · 27/06/2011 16:29

Our school had Ofsted visit a few weeks ago and were absolutely slated for our attendence. They mentioned it in the letter to the children. Low attendence dragged our grading down in a couple of areas. Improving attendence is now our whole-school focus. Some parents do not bother bringing their children to school every day, that is a fact. So on that basis, IMO YABU.

MilaMae · 27/06/2011 17:14

Two wrongs don't make a right.

A system that puts such weight on something that is often completely out of a school's control and thus puts many schools at a disadvantage before they've even started is wrong.

However ordering parents to send in ill children is however also wrong and also a tad cruel if you look at it from a child's perspective.

Sorry said school needs to look at other methods to raise attendance.

halcyondays · 27/06/2011 18:17

YANBU. I'll decide when my child's ill enough to need to be off school, thanks and people sending in children who are ill or still contagious with a stomach bug is a pet hate of mine. Still, if they get children arriving and puking when they are just in the school door, maybe they'll have a rethink. It's irresponsible of the school to encourage parents to send in sick children.

quirrelquarrel · 27/06/2011 18:33

I'm a bit surprised that it was a text more than anything else (w/ poor grammar, it's school!). Why not email? Texting seems so flimsy, esp. if this is such an important message.

Fifis25StottieCakes · 27/06/2011 18:36

We get emergency texts for if an events cancelled or the schools closed. We would always get something like this in a letters. It must be pretty costly. I found the company who do our school and its quite an expensive service.

Asinine · 27/06/2011 18:43

Outrageous, send it to the education secretary and ask for the rationale behind this strategy. Copy it to the director of public health for your region and to the school governors.

That is the most ridiculous school missive I have ever heard of, and I've seen a few...Sad

Fernier · 27/06/2011 19:22

argh attendance drives me mad.
Last year my daughter had very low attendance (85%) we were called in to the school and given a lecture (literally it was a talk with some other parents by some attendance woman about how we were neglecting our childs education). We were then told that from then on we should bring her to school even when she was ill for them to send her home.

the reason she was off so much? she had e coli was back and forth to hospital for MONTHS after and as a result of the initial illness had repeated kidney/urinary infections. Not EXACTLY us overreacting to a sniffle or that we couldnt be bothered to take her.

The school had been provided with letters from doctors, a letter from our consultant to confirm the illness and even test results (which tbh I dont see why we had to show basically confidential documents to the school office but there you go).

basingstoke · 27/06/2011 19:28

There are threads about this all the time. I would love it if people got in touch with OFSTED to pass on their views. Under the new OFSTED framework, attendance is going to be an even bigger deal. Our school's target has been 94%. Under the new framework, less than 95% would put us at risk of a notice to improve. When my DC's school was last inspected, the letter that the lead inspector wrote to the children told them to come to school more often. Please, please complain to OFSTED!!

VictorianIce · 27/06/2011 19:46

I second basingstoke's post above.
Also, (I think) if it drops too low, it can actually trigger an inspection.

Triggles · 27/06/2011 19:48

Fernier - they asked for test results?!? I would never have given them to them. They have no right to ask for test results, IMO. Ridiculous!

I think they need to focus on the parents of students with ongoing problems with attendance, along with a healthy dose of common sense. If a child has a medical problem, obviously their attendance is going to suffer a bit. The LAST thing the child's parents need at that point is hassle from the school! Surely they can weed out what students have genuine medical problems causing attendance problems from the students that are absent for no apparent good reason? If we could figure out which was which as students, you'd think the staff could figure it out... Hmm

VeraGood · 27/06/2011 19:50

I think the school could target people but have a lit of skivers. Presume they ask about illness to avoid cilimbie type abuse cover ups

clam · 27/06/2011 19:51

You know, I think I'd text back (if it's not one of these "do not reply" ones) and say "Thanks for the tip but, as a parent, I will decide if my child is fit for school."

Hassled · 27/06/2011 19:53

Ofsted seem to struggle to see lack of attendance as anything other than lack of interest in going to school. It's incredibly frustrating (as a Governor); they have a point further up the age ranges but when you're talking about very young children, then lack of attendance is because either a) they're ill or b) their parents haven't sent them in for whatever reason. It's seldom because the child decides they don't want to go in.

basingstoke · 27/06/2011 19:55

I went over attendance with my tutor group today. Out of 28, only 6 have attendance above 95%. Of the remaining, one has truancy issues (which are are trying to address), and one has a long term health condition. The rest of away on odd occasions here and there, always with a parent phoning in to give a presumable genuine medical reason. Net result though - overall attendance below 95% - school will get hammered in next OFSTED.

Write to OFSTED (please).

ll31 · 27/06/2011 19:57

surely they should be talking directly to the people they feel have poor attendance or the ones where theyfeel there may be an issue other than sickness.. would have thought encouraging sick children to come in would over time reduce attendance further

OneHelluvaBroad · 27/06/2011 20:00

My DS has got about 85% attendance this year, but he has had norovirus, flu, a bad headcold and has been sent home twice with tummy aches/sore throat etc. What can you do? He picks up everything going. I find it ridiculous that school's are judged on this. Surely if there are a genuine individual problems with a child not attending, they should be dealt with on a case by case basis, and not swallowed up into some stupid average that is pretty much meaningless.