100% attendance

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AIBU to think that school has got this 100% attendance thing 100% right?

Received a 2-line letter today congratulating dd for her 100% attendance last term and thanking us for supporting her attendance.

I had no idea she had had 100% attendance, for various legitimate reasons none of my dc ever achieve 100% attendance. Despite this, ds's tutor group regularly receive the year group prize for overall best attendance.

So the school manages to reward good attendance without penalising those who have no hope of ever attaining it.

So surely you can understand why for those who it is out of their control this system causes children so much distress?

We do, but this is a thread about rewarding 100% not about strategies for improving general attendance.

Our attendance has improved year on year - even for our many traveller families - because of this approach

Well thats great, for you and for those with better attendance. I guess a couple of sickly kids are worth the numbers bump for you.

^So why don't you have a 10am appointment, she can register first and then go

Add message | Report | Message poster Sirzy Wed 06-May-15 20:30:21
So miss more school just to make school happy attendance wise? ^

This is exactly why the current approach doesn't work. I actually know people who will schedule doctors' appointments for their children for after they've got their attendance mark, involving taking them out of school, taking them to the doctor, waiting, having the appointment, going back to school - all of which takes them out of school for more time than simply getting an 8.30 appointment and being, say 15 minutes late, most of which is time spent doing the register, getting coats off etc. But hey, they've got 100% attendance and that's what's important. Load of old bollocks it is.

15 minutes shouldn't be marked as an absence the registers should stay open for 30 minutes at morning registration and 5 for afternoon registration, assuming primary school

Ok 15, 30, whatever (I don't know what it is in our school and actually don't give a shit - my son goes in if he's well, doesn't if he's not, and goes in late if he has to go to the doctor). But my general point is still a sensible one. These kids are missing loads more time off school just because their parents are hell-bent on getting a mark.

So, even though attendance has improved on paper, it actually has got worse because they are missing more school by not taking those early morning appointments.

Well thats great, for you and for those with better attendance. I guess a couple of sickly kids are worth the numbers bump for you

WTF does this even mean?

Why are you confused? It's pretty clear. You say your system works very well for those whose attendance can be improved. Thats good for them, and for you. So, if its not good for a few kids (and you can't improve their attendance to help your figures, so they don't matter in that context) who cares? And if its the kids who already have a lot to put up with, whats one more little thing for them? Not your problem.

So surely you can understand why for those who it is out of their control this system causes children so much distress?

I haven't commented on attendance certificates at all on this thread, so I'm not sure how I'm not understanding the distress

Trouble is, often schools do prefer that you miss more teaching, so long as the child isn't absent for a registration.

Example one - child has fasting bloods at GP, arrives at 9.05: marked absent.

Example two - child has hearing test at 11am. Mother picks him up at 10.45 and returns him at 11.55. No absence recorded.

Schools close to their numbers do prefer option two, because that's the measure.

In an ideal world, genuine sickness, quarantine and medical treatment wouldn't count towards absence. There would be different codes for "school bus broke down" and "massive crash on the bypass" and "mum's boyfriend hid the door key again" and "hid round the corner then went to the park". For now all we have is "was present for registration" and "wasn't".

You say your system works very well for those whose attendance can be improved.

Where did I say this?

It works. Our attendance has improved year on year - even for our many traveller families - because of this approach.
Right there.

Interesting point, mrshathaway. We have a bigger window for lateness than you, but yes, late after 9.15 is an unauthorised absence, as dictated by education welfare via the LA.

If you could design a better system, what would it be? (Genuine question).

It seems to be a bonkers systems!
suburban what is the general thinking of family support systems on regular appointments that lead to time off school? Genuinely curious.

Never been offered any family support worker intervention, school know exactly where dd is and that there are no other options for us. Without physio dd would have much more time off with injuries and worsening chronic pain.

Occasionally would love to have a body double for dd and I as ended up reducing my hours so that I am able to take dd to appointments and dd hates missing school/being different.

But that doesn't say, "for those whose attendance can be improved", does it?

Your implication is that in my school we only focus on improving the attendance of certain children and ignore the others. That makes no sense at all and I can't imagine any school subscribing to such an approach.

I am always amazed about how worked up some people get over such things.
As a teacher (primary) the children in my school receive a certificate if they have 100% attendance in the term. Their names are announced in assembly and they are then given certificate at the end of the day. I can't see how any of the children or parents are too bothered about this as, at the start of this term, the certificates for the children in my class got buried under a pile of lost property in the corridor for two weeks and NOT ONE child or parent asked about them (and they are known for 'chasing' things up!) and I eventually gave them out one afternoon when they resurfaced.

As a parent of 3 children, all under consultants with on-going medical issues, I can honestly say that my own children have never even commented on attendance (they attend a different school from the one where I teach). No positive or negative comment at all!

I can't believe (or find it rather sad to think it is true in MNWorld) that children are so distraught over a piece of paper, a number on a report or even a party! Surely children can only put such weight on something if they are led in that direction by the adults around them. I feel safe that my own children do not worry that by never reaching 100% due to their medical needs that it means they are not good enough.

With regular absence from school for medical appointments I would make sure to build a relationship with the family so they know right from the start that no-one is going to chase them about these absences. I would ask them what would make life easier for them - do they want work to take home, what does the child want when they return to school? Do we need a care plan in school? What do we need to know to support them? Are they a registered carer? Can we refer them to any other organisations such as carers' support groups? It does depend a lot on the nature of the medical issue. Often we don't have the answers in school but reassuring parents that we will exercise common sense with regard to attendance can make a big difference.

No, my implication is you have a system that works for most and you don't care very much if it upsets a few kids, who happen to be those whose attendance can't be improved.
Different thing altogether. Whatever system you have would make no difference to the attendance rate of my child. However if you are rewarding others for attendance and penalising mine who can't help it, you should care.

I hate the certificates and the rewarding of what in an ideal world should be the norm. Frankly couldn't give a monkeys about dd attendance percentage in its self as I don't measure her educational and learning success by such an arbitrary measure.

Sadly dd (14yrs) doesn't feel the same, dd wants to be like her peers who got those certificates in primary school and now have in bold underlined font 100% on termly reports. I accept my dd might be a tad unrealistic given her diagnosis further hampered by a huge competitive streak.

It is I guess that it is discriminatory that I and others take issue with this aspect.

I can't believe (or find it rather sad to think it is true in MNWorld) that children are so distraught over a piece of paper, a number on a report or even a party!

Nobody said they are so distraught but can't you understand how a small child can see it as "there is a party for the kids who are always healthy and can go to school. I'm already embarassed and upset about the fact that I am not as healthy as them and miss school a lot, and now I have to do work while they have a sodding party!"

You think thats inclusive and fair to all. Seriously people, this is not over-anxious mothers over-reacting about nothing. This is disability discrimination.

Where did I say we reward attendance in my school, madre?

I'm finding your posts increasingly confusing.

If you don't Rhonda, wtf are you wittering about on a thread specifically about REWARDING ATTENDANCE?

No need to shout just because you made a mistake, madre.

and Madre it isn't fair!

But we should take comfort that the school won't really hold it against us and our dc as dc are genuinely unable to attend school 100% for good reasons but this won't be documented on paper and no your child can't go to the 100% attendance party.

No offence to you Suburban but the schools understanding of dc long term illness seems like cold comfort.