To think to be called in is OTT

[Lifegoeson]

So ds teacher asked me to pop to the office to speak to school secretary after I had dropped him off, apparently headteacher would like to see me due to ds low attendance - quote - 'we have to be seen to be doing something'.

Ds attended school for first 2 terms without abscence which I was quite surprised about - but then the bugs kicked! He has the certificates for this - a whole other thread as 5 year olds don't get to decide if they go to school!

I feel it's a waste of mine and the HT time, what am I supposed to say?! He was sick, what can I say! We are talking about approx 5 separate incidents of abscence btw - 2 of when I was too ill to get him to school - which I explained too.

[saintlyjimjams]

You can't keep them off when you are ill. Talk to the school about options to prevent that happening again.

[SantanaLopez]

YABU I am afraid.

[Sirzy]

I think the school are right to be questioning when attendance falls so low tbh - and the fact it is seemingly a sudden change will probably make them question it more.

I really do think that even when you are ill you need to make the effort to drag yourself to school to take him in - or find someone else who can.

[DeWe]

I suspect (along with everyone else) that it's the times you kept him off because you were ill that are the problem. That isn't usual at all, and I'm not totally surprised it causes alarm bells to ring. And if you said he was ill to school, you can bet he's probably told the school what really happened.

People are usually happy to help. Even people you don't know very well, but have children at the same school will usually help.
I remember one time, when dh was away, and my youngest had been very ill all night, so I took my other two who weren't ill to the end of the drive and stopped the first parent going to school, and they happily took them in.
I would do the same for anyone else in that situation, as, I'm sure you would too.

What I suggest you do is today or tomorrow look out for someone who walks past your house to school (preferably in your dc class or not much older). Just talk to them and explain that you are really stuck if you're ill, and would it be okay if you have their number so if you're in that situation again, you can ask. Say you'll do the same for them.
But that's an emergency number.
Do not try their patience on asking every time dc2 is asleep, you feel vaguely not quite right etc. It has to be when nothing else will do, you are totally incapable of getting there-you probably will not need it most years.
My oldest is in year 8 and I have had one day when I was incapable of taking them to school, and that was more because the medication I had for back pain made me so dizzy and incapable I literally couldn't stand up and walk in a straight line. Taking to school when in labour with dc3 was nothing in comparison

Then you can tell the head you have sorted the situation.

[Lifegoeson]

Thanks again for all messages, really helpful.

Meeting with HT went fine, going to work on a contingency plan.

As for DS illness, 1 was his first real bout of flu, another was due to exhaustion from night terrors and others were D&V related at weekend and following school rules kept him off for 24 hours although he was fine in himself.

As for sickness, can't rem who poster was?? - sorry, I was warned to expect lots of sickness once DS started school, it wasn't that bad tho!