To think the whole attendance thing at school has gone too far?

[storminabuttercup]

I maybe am, but parents at DS's school seem so bothered about the attendance mark that they are sending kids into school ill, straight after D&V, with all sorts of bugs etc. School actively encourage this, I mentioned that DS had D&V, was a Friday so hopefully if it stopped that day he would return on Monday after the 48 hour period, I was told 'oh we don't worry about that sort of thing they are fine to come back' this is probably why the school is rife with bugs. Just before Xmas lots of the kids came down with a stomach bug, school didn't mention anything but one kid has head lice and we get strongly worded messages.
I know kids need to be in school, I get that, but surely we want them to be healthy too.
Are other schools like this? I may be venting as DS was ill again last week, mentioned it to another mum who said her child had been throwing up and had diarrhoea the night before but 'school would phone if he wasn't right'

[ATruthUniversallyAcknowledged]

Zombie alert!!!!!!

Op, why have you bumped all these old threads? Just start your own.

[tinyterrors]

Our school are militant about the 48 hour rule. I've known parents be turned away at the gate for trying to bring them back before the 48 hours.

It can be hard to judge how bad kids are though. Mine have all had coughs and a cold for the past week, the cough sounds awful but they're well in themselves, no fever and running round like normal in the playground. They've been at school every day. I can't keep them off for every cough and cold or they'd be off from October to March.

I send my kids in when they're not 100% if it's something minor like coughs and colds but if they have a fever, are sleepy or not fit enough then they stay home and I don't care what school thinks.

Attendance crackdowns have gone way too far and as pp have pointed out won't mean a thing to those few parents who don't give a damn while putting those who do under pressure to send kids in that should be at home. It should be up to parents whether their child is fit enough for school not stupid government targets.

[CrystalQueen]

I'm glad this hasn't reached Scotland yet (sure it's only a matter of time). My DH was taken very ill a couple of weeks ago so my parents were looking after DD (P3) - but they don't live close enough to take her to school (they live about an hour away). The last thing I would have needed while going back and forth to the hospital to the cardiac ward was the school on my back!

[RufusTheReindeer]

bird

My sons 6th form seems very good and allows them to leave if they feel ill and decide for themselves

It is linked to a school which doesnt seem to have the same draconian views on absence as the senior school my other children attend

[insan1tyscartching]

Dd had two days off with the most horrendous period. She was in bed on maximum painkillers and still in pain. I sent the necessary text and emailed the SENCo in good time so that her assigned TA could be reassigned elsewhere. I got an email back asking whether it was really necessary for her to be absent.
Dd has very painful and heavy periods anyway but she still has attended every other time needing regular painkillers to get through. That particular occasion was far worse and she wasn't absent unnecessarily.
It was probably not my finest hour when I offered to bring the contents of my linen basket for inspection so that they could verify that dd was genuinely unable to attend.
Dd's attendance was up until that point perfect so it's not as if she was regularly absent anyway.

[LurcioAgain]

I've had the whole nasty letter threatening me with the educational welfare officer thing for DS's low attendance and demanding doctor's letters. So much so that I am now sending him in so they can actually see how ill he is and get me to take him home. Only yesterday, they came up with a new wheeze - phoned me up at lunchtime to say "can you come and administer calpol?" Well, yes I can, once I've cycled half an hour back from work, collected the calpol, then cycled up to the school.

When I got there DS was practically in tears and all flushed and miserable - I brought him home. Of course, the school has now played a blinder, because on the records it's now my choice to take him out of school not their decision to send him home.

Guess I'd better start tidying the house so it looks all respectable for the welfare officer.

[Birdsgottafly]

I've got bad news, this now extends to Collage.

The Parents, whose Teens are on my DDs course have all had to band together to reinforce this and the rule that a GP note is needed.

We signed a piece of paper, which stated "If you fax all of our GPs to get their agreement that we bring our Children into the surgery with a Virus etc, just to get a sick note" and to also disregard the '48 hour rule' and they agree, then we will abide with it.

They're all keeping on top of their work and these imposed rules are ridiculous.

[Fizrim]

Should have said that the school does follow the 48 hour rule though, a couple of times I've been called to collect DD and have been told that she'll have to stay off. I do think it's sensible, to try and stop the spread!

[TwoLeftSocks]

I'm glad ours are sensible and maintain the 48 hour rule.

OP, have a look on the school's website, there should be something on there about illness absence. If its not following health guidance - Goulash's link above - I'd be quite concerned /annoyed.

[BertPuttocks]

DD's school still has the 48hrs rule for D&V. I know of a couple of occasions when a child has mentioned that they were sick the night before and the school has immediately phoned the parents to collect them.

The school's overall attendance record is generally good, so presumably this approach works.

[Fizrim]

My daughter's junior school has some kind of attendance cup/award each week for the class with the best attendance. DD was griping that they never win it because there is a child who is off a lot so I was pointing out that people can't help being sick, she's been off herself, blah, blah. I hate the fact that it's getting so competitive this early! I may raise this with the school at their next parent meeting.

(the absent child does not suffer from a long-term health condition btw)

[Pilgit]

It's not all schools. Ours is sensible about it. DD1 has a D&V bug at the moment and the response wassympathetic and kind - we should just focus on getting better. It is utterly ridiculous that so many schools seem to lack basic common sense.

[RufusTheReindeer]

iora

In my area that does appear to be the case with the infants school

Not with the seniors though

[fusionconfusion]

My Year 1 equivalent has missed 9 days this school year for minor illnesses. I am no longer in the UK and just so delighted that I don't have to face scrutiny over this.

[IoraRua]

In my school we have the opposite problem. Kids being sent in who are blatantly sick and then spending their school day miserable and ill while we try to get in touch with parents.
In some cases we've been told by parents "ah shure send em down to Montessori"...so they can infect MORE, smaller children?

[GoulashSoup]

For D&v they should be following the health protection agency guidelines which state 48 hours exclusion.

[RufusTheReindeer]

Apart from that its not a bad school

[RufusTheReindeer]

It drives me mad as well

Ive got a temper as it is but whenever i get a letter or see something in a newsletter i have to be restrained from ringing or emailing

Ds2 off for two days (seperate instances) with D and V, get a letter saying that he is taking too much time off and would i like to discuss this with the head of year...are you a medially trained proffesional love? No? Then sod off

Newsletter comes out saying that a medical note is required for an absence of over 3 days

Dd has had medical appointments she has missed 10/15 minutes of school each time but the way they calculate the absences means that her attandence has dropped, w got two letters for that one and its been put on her otherwise glowing school report. And on last years report when she had four days off ill

I know its not the schools fault per se which is why i dont ring or email but if i hear them say "every child matters " one more time i will not be responsible for my actions. They do not care about my child they care about their attendence records

And this is another school which ignores the 48 hour rule

And breathe

[SeasonalVag]

When my sons attendanct dropped below 90% I had a call from social workers....ok, this was November so he'd missed a lot IN just two months but he has recurring tonsilitis and they'll be getting whipped out in the summer. Every time he's been off he's been to the doctor but I was raging when they told me to send him in with calpol if sick! It's ridiculous.

[Sirzy]

Ds school is great with this, perhaps helped because I keep them very informed. Last term Ds attendance was 72% but nothing was said because school know the situation and know he is in as much as he can be.

[Katenka]

Am i really the only mner who remembers incidents like these?

no, I remember them. But it's gone to far the other way.

Punishing all kids and parents because some didn't value education.

[Katenka]

I find our school quite hypcritical.

Dd attendance was 97%. One of the days she had off was because they had a damaged fence that came down in front of her and caught her head. They wanted her to go to hospital.

She got a 'bronze' award for the year so far and told she needed to improve.

But she has missed three days of lessons in the last two weeks. Two for rehearsals for a show they were putting on and one so she could be a runner. So she spent the day taking messages from reception to the students of teachers that they were for.

How is it ok to miss entire days to help out the reception and office staff of 97% isn't good enough.

[redexpat]

Common sense goes both ways though. Am I the only one who remembers other kids going off for weeks at a time? One was taken to florida for 6 weeks in y6. Another girl was packed off to birmingham to care for a sick relative for at least a month in y9. I think the same girl had a trip to india for several weeks too.

Am i really the only mner who remembers incidents like these?

[PagesOfABook]

I'm so glad we have none of this in Ireland. If my child is sick he stays home - i just put a note in his bag for the teacher explaining why he was out. There are no notes home from the school, no prizes for good attendance.

Obviously, children with very bad attendance are examined more closely but I think you have to be missing a lot of school before it gets to that stage.

My friends children have excellent attendance - hardly miss a day. She is taking them out for a few days to go on holidays - the teacher is aware - and it's not an issue.

If I want to take my child out of school to go to a wedding or a funeral - that is my choice. I would hate to be having to ask the school for permission.

Surely there has to be some common sense.