To think absence targets are unachievable

[Lolamon]

I attended my dd reception talk yesterday and of course attendance came up. The government have now changed the attendance guidelines so now you have to achieve 90% attendance which equates to 2 and a half days off between September and December. They've also included children of not school age in this so 4 year olds. If you have more than 2 and half days off you're treated as a persistent offender and have to meet with the educational welfare officer. Is this totally ridiculous or is it just me. Bareing in mind you have to keep your child off for 48hours if they have a sickness bug!

[Lancelottie]

Similar here Zazzie! What is a 'cold' for the others becomes 'total zombie status with added meltdowns' for DS1. If I sent him in before he was fully recovered he tended to be returned to sender before first break. Hence an absence record of around 25% most autumn terms, improving a bit for the next two.

One term he had '100% absence' according to school figures, but I think that was just an admin error...

I'm sure there's a PhD somewhere in 'why does my child's ASD mean his colds go straight to his brain?'

[Jennifersrabbit]

I think it's all a bit of a nonsense (and am a school governor!) and that the families we really need to be working with to get kids into school regularly are not best identified by an anxious focus on percentages alone.

My two stay home if they need to and have an average susceptibility to illness, I think. Apart from an epic episode in Y1 when DS had a high-temperature flu immediately followed by a vomiting bug, they have had no concerns re meeting attendance thresholds. Epic Y1 episode was dealt with with complete common sense by the Head.

I wouldn't worry until you need to.

[chickenfuckingpox]

the stupid thing is they changed the rules so you have to have 48 hours off for d/v but the only parents affected by this are the ones who stick to the rules the ones who are spreading it are the ones whos parents dont care enough about there children to keep them off school or the ones who cant afford to lose wages by staying at home and looking after a sick child both of which need more help and support and possible intervention not parents who keep there child off because they are actually ill!!

i hate the 48 hour rule my son was sick one time ONCE but he had to have 48 hours off school then he had chickenpox then he had diarrhea again once and was off for another 48 hours his attendance is now classed as "low" they tell me if he is ill again i will have to get a doctors note my doctors will not provide a note as they dont want children with d/v or chicken pox clogging up the surgery these are recognizable conditions that under normal circumstances dont need medical treatment unfortunately due to government targets we are all a bunch of criminals

as of September every illness is supposed to have a medical note i know my doctors would not be able to cope (not government policy new school policy) it sucks

[Lolamon]

I think this is a wider issue too! I really detest the goverment intervention into how we bring up our kids.

These endless targets and absolute refusal to bend on them is quite a lot of pressure on all. Especially with the doctors notes isn't our nhs at breaking point as it is without piling more pressure on it.

I do believe i was being unreasonable on the op but I don't think I'm being unreasonable on the target crazy school policies

[MyVisionsComeFromSoup]

we no longer have the 48 hour rule for D&V - it's up to the parent to decide if their child is well enough to come back next day . Would have thought that would increase the number of other DC off with D&V?

[Athenaviolet]

Don't most DCs get chicken pix when they are toddlers?

I think I was 3, DCs 3 &1yo.

There haven't been cp outbreaks in any of my DCs schools.

As for d&v neither of mine have had that.

[Lolamon]

Well Athena I guess you're just extremely lucky!

[MythicalKings]

Both DSs had chronic asthma and both missed approx. 6 weeks every school year until sixth form.

The ESW phoned us once and I gave him the number of our GP and told him not to get back in touch until he'd spoken to him first.

They never bothered us again.

[RiverTam]

My Aunty had chickenpox in her 70s! Unusual but equally not true that every child has it as a toddler.

In our school it's 24 hours from the last bout of sickness, DD had 2 days off this week for sickness.

OP I wouldn't sweat it, unless there's some underlying reason or you're the kind of parent who keeps their child off for every sniffle you'll be fine.

[PenelopePitstops]

One day off every 2 weeks is A LOT.

Not many children need that many days off which is why the target is at that level.

Health reasons aside there are few reasons why pupils aren't able to reach these targets.

Over a 39 week year, it's almost 4 weeks off.

[wonkylegs]

Lack of understanding that you need to keep your kid off with D&V led to a cyclical outbreak of it that brought down most of the kids in KS1 (150 children) & their teachers over a two week period at DSs school.

[Sirzy]

I don't think at a school level their is a refusal to bend the targets, certainly not from sensible schools. other than one over zealous new attendance officer (who was soon spoken to by the head) we have had no issue at all even tbough DS has attendance of around 85% for reception year. That is partly because I have worked with the school not against them. I know that some others have had further involvement due to poor attendance but from what they have said a lot of that is more to do with lack of cooperation/reasons/odd patterns to absences rather than just the figure.

[Lancelottie]

Health reasons aside there are few reasons why pupils aren't able to reach these targets.

Yes, but that's what we're saying! When the child IS ill, there is bugger all you can then do to meet the target.

[SomewhereIBelong]

ours haven't had any instances of D+V either - and are 12 and 14 now - it is not that unusual for kids not to be sick (except on MN)

[Gemauve]

One day off every 2 weeks is A LOT.

Over the course of education 5-18 it's about eighteen months off.

[Lancelottie]

Yes, but in most cases the average is being taken over a year (or up to May/June, or even just for one term). You don't get a free pass if your child has been brimming with health till year 7 and then caught everything before Christmas.