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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think that these attendance things are really stupid?

70 replies

Pyjamaramadrama · 11/05/2015 17:31

Every week in the newsletter the attendance percentages are published by class.

The class with the best attendance are always congratulated and the worst are always asked to try harder next time.

Then there's always a message asking children and parents to try really hard.

Wtaf are we trying really hard to do? Not get ill? To go to school even when ill?

This is primary school, surely attendance is completely out of children's control.

If parents are the type to keep the kids off for no reason then surely that needs addressing on an individual basis as a note in the newsletter will make little difference.

That's not to mention the ridiculously extravagant prize they put up at the end of the year for good attendance.

OP posts:
PHANTOMnamechanger · 11/05/2015 17:35

our school do the same too - rank both attendance and punctuality by class and the best class get a trophy in their room for the week!

so unfair on those who have genuine illnesses, frequent medical appointments etc.

hiddenhome · 11/05/2015 17:38

I wonder if this system could be challenged on the grounds that it's demonstrating prejudice towards the sick/pupils with conditions that need monitoring?

Parents need to object. Pupils that are sick can hardly help it.

Original poster
Pyjamaramadrama · 11/05/2015 17:38

I just think it's something that's completely out of the children's control.

OP posts:
AuntyMag10 · 11/05/2015 17:39

Have you challenged the school about this?

MrsTerryPratchett · 11/05/2015 17:42

Attendance is an issue. You can do a number of things, all of which are loathed. You can penalise poor attendance; everyone complains that they can't choose to take their children out and that they get rude letters when they do. You can reward good attendance; see above OP. You can use truant officers for minor infractions; people get really upset. You can try to educate people as to why attendance is important; everyone thinks this applies to 'bad' parents so therefore not to them. You can give us and just let school be voluntary; good luck.

What's your solution?

meglet · 11/05/2015 17:42

yanbu. It must make children with medical conditions feel like crap. Some classes never win because of it.

Mistigri · 11/05/2015 17:43

It's especially stupid given that by unusually high levels of non attendance tend to go hand in hand with outbreaks of transmissible illness, caused by viruses that are transmitted when children come into close proximity for eg when sharing a classroom!

Are all UK school managements this dumb? Because my FB is full of UK teachers and parents with stories like this.

Hassled · 11/05/2015 17:45

In fairness it's also out of the school's control. This is a DfE/Ofsted thing, and has been for years - if your attendance is low it's because children don't love school as much as they should, nothing to do with illness/holidays/whatever, and so you're judged accordingly. There is a lot of pressure on Heads to have good attendance.

Original poster
Pyjamaramadrama · 11/05/2015 17:46

No, I've only recently thought about how stupid it is.

I used to do work around poor attendance, so I understand the effect regular poor attendance can have. But really it needs addressing on an individual basis. The tone of the newsletter is patronising.

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 11/05/2015 17:49

Its actually raised the attendance quite a lot in my DCs school.

It's not about sending your kids to school when they're too ill to attend, but more about when they're at the stage where they could go really but would rather stay at home.

It's also stopped a lot of parents from keeping their kids off just because it's their birthday, or the last couple of days of term.

MrsTerryPratchett · 11/05/2015 17:49

But really it needs addressing on an individual basis. Which is often seen as discriminatory. It also doesn't address the people are are saying things like, "but a week in the Algarve is sooooo educational, not like truanting." Everyone wants to be a special snowflake so the schools compromise with this nonsense. It's the same as the ridiculous situation with head lice.

Original poster
Pyjamaramadrama · 11/05/2015 17:51

Mrsterrypratchett I think that I'd use the common sense approach.

That would be taking illness at face value, taking individual children's circumstances into account without removing them from rewards for having say a disability. I'd tackle regular ongoing poor attendance on a case by case.

Children have the right to access education so regularly deliberately keeping a child off school is a form of neglect.

An outbreak of a sickness bug meaning attendance is low that week in a class isn't worth a mention.

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 11/05/2015 17:53

These things are addressed on an individual basis if a child is flagging up as persistently absent.

This is to tidy up the 'stragglers' - the grey area if you like who over the year, due to their odd days off for no real good reason, make up a large part of the attendance figures.

Marvel101 · 11/05/2015 17:55

Luckily we're in Ireland so have none of this.

It sounds so annoying. If the parent is the type to keep their child off school for no good reason then I doubt they care what the news letter says

Goldmandra · 11/05/2015 17:57

I think yours is one of the more enlightened schools.

Amongst other incentives and rewards, DD2's school used to get all the pupils with 100% attendance to stand up in the last assembly of each half term. Given that it's relatively easy to get 100% attendance for a half a term, the vast majority achieved it every time. This meant that DD2, whose disability meant lots of time off and appointments, had to sit on the floor every single time in a sea of legs while her classmates literally looked down on her. That really boosted her confidence - not.

In the end she started refuse to go in to be subjected to this ritual humiliation and I told them I agreed with her when they told me what she'd done.

I also felt sorry for the reception children who didn't understand why everyone else stood up for a round of applause and/or a certificate and the weren't allowed to.

SuburbanRhonda · 11/05/2015 17:57

Agree, worra, you can have both approaches - they're not mutually exclusive.

There was a thread almost exactly like this one only a couple of weeks ago and it ended with a poster claiming that rewarding children for good attendance was state sponsored disability discrimination - yes, really.

Original poster
Pyjamaramadrama · 11/05/2015 17:57

I know they are Worra, so I guess that's why I wonder what's the need for the oh so patronising 'let's try harder'.

If you're slack enough to keep the kids off just because, will the newsletter makes a difference? Perhaps they do, it's sad that people need an extravagant prize as an incentive. Perhaps you're right and it catches the stragglers.

OP posts:
WorraLiberty · 11/05/2015 18:02

It's not the newsletter to parents that makes a difference in my DS's school

It's the fact the kids now want their class to get the highest attendance, so generally they stop mithering their parents when they don't really want to go to school.

If they were really ill, of course they would stay off and not give a second thought to the attendance thing.

x2boys · 11/05/2015 18:17

I got a letter after Xmas as my sons attendance was 94.6% he had just four days off in the autumn term with tonsillitis I,ll probably get another now as he has chickenpoxSad he's not had a day off sick since his tonsillitis at the end of September I would gladly send him in but the gp says Hes contagious for ten days!

Original poster
Pyjamaramadrama · 11/05/2015 18:42

Yes fair point Worra, I haven't looked at it like that as I suppose for us school is non negotiable.

I guess in that case I wish they'd just say what they mean as the 'trying hard' seems so passive aggressive, as do a lot of the things in school newsletters.

I guess I wish they'd just say don't keep your child off school because they've got a sniffle or they're tired, or you've got a hangover, it ruins out ofsted rating and distrusts teaching. I know that they can't say this but I'd prefer it.

I do feel sorry for any kids who've had an I going illness with this competitive attendance.

OP posts:
Original poster
Pyjamaramadrama · 11/05/2015 18:43

Our and distrupts.

OP posts:
Sirzy · 11/05/2015 18:47

DS attendance figure isn't counted in his classes "award" attempts because he has medical conditions which mean his attendance is low. School know he is there whenever he can be (and aometimes when he probably sjouldnt) so this was the sensible way to make sure his class didn't miss out because of him. He has no idea

Sirzy · 11/05/2015 18:48

I do have issue with attendance awards in general but ones like this can be adapted when needed at least so in a sensible school shouldn't be too much of an issue.

MNpostingbot · 11/05/2015 19:03

yabu, as usual Worra seems to have this one sorted though.

Was going to ask if they adjust for anyone with genuine regular medical appointments, and it seems they do from post a couple above. So it's not as if some children are being persecuted for being ill.

Dare I say it, but there are a proportion (very small) of parents out there who will happily jump on a child being "Ill" so he has to stay off school, oh and that means I have to take a day off with him.

If this sort of thing makes one child say "errr no mum / dad, I'm fine, im going to school" then it's a good thing.

FannyPlant · 11/05/2015 19:35

Our newsletter gives out the names of the kids with the improved attendance, which I think is harsh. It's like 'You no longer have shit attendance, well done'