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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To keep my child home from school on polling day

144 replies

SchoolOutForSummer · 27/04/2017 16:42

Name change as this post will out me to all parents at our school ;)

Minor gripe here. School notified parents of holiday dates in September and these included the dates the school is closed for poling, including this Thursday.

Just received a letter today, telling us our Year 6 children must come to school on Thursday, to do extra work for their upcoming SATs exams.

I am slightly concerned that they will not be able to monitor ALL the members of public who will be in the school voting and wandering on and around the premises and keep them away from the children, which is why the school is closed.

I feel that as the rest of the school is closed from nursery up to year 5, then it should be closed for year 6 too. The year 6 children are all upset on the playground and feel they are being punished to lose their day off school.

School are concerned about their sats score. Which is laughable to think that one six hour day will make any difference to their scores. Teaching resentful children will not be effective...just let them have their 'planned for months' day off. The school has never pulled in year 6 children into school on polling day before and has reasonable sats scores and is a 'Good' school in ofsed terms.

Many parents including me have either paid for child care or planned a fun day out with siblings. Which will have to be cancelled last minute.

I know it is no big deal but I am tempted to just keep her off ill. Our letter promises that all absent year 6 children will be receiving a phone call from the school. My response would be the truth. She is very upset and stressed from all the pressure of these sats exams, therefore she will be staying home today. Would that be so unreasonable?

If the school had told us about this extra day in September or even a month ago, I would of sent her but leaving it so late and upsetting all the children seems so self defeating.

Plus I think sats is a massive waste of teachers time, I told DD to work hard and do her best but I don't want anymore headaches, tears and stomach aches over this issue

OP posts:
Original poster
SchoolOutForSummer · 28/04/2017 12:14

We have no 11+ here.

High school test the kids themselves before setting.

I am not concerned with a gcse prediction from primary school.

We use to get one in our option year around 13yo, midway through high school and that will be far more accurate prediction than from year 6 !

OP posts:
lalalalyra · 28/04/2017 12:16

As an additional note it drives me crazy that the school is used as a polling station when there is a rarely used council building opposite the school with all the required facilities. Does anyone know how to gripe effectively about that sort of thing?

If you ask the local council or electors office they'll be able to tell you why the building doesn't fit the criteria. It'll be for a reason because they do try not to use schools if there is another building that's just as suitable. Often it ends up being schools because they are well secured buildings and because they are easily accessible by walking routes or public transport.

Foldedtshirt · 28/04/2017 12:17

I'd not be worried about randomers wandering but the short notice and missing out on other plans mean you can keep her off with a clear conscience.

Xmasbaby11 · 28/04/2017 12:19

I'd send her in tbh. She'll miss a day's education for no good reason. They do get plenty of holidays, and bank holidays this month too.

Blossomdeary · 28/04/2017 12:22

Keep her off. The whole emphasis on SATs is killing education. If they haven't got the stuff in their over-stuffed heads by now, then that is just tough - they have the rest of their lives FGS.

Apairofsparklingeyes · 28/04/2017 12:55

I'd let the school know that you won't be sending your DD in because it's not sufficient notice and you've already made plans. I suggest that you have a nice day and make sure that your kids are having fun and making far too much noise to hear what the head is saying during the phone call. Singing loudly along to 'let it go' would give an effective message as well as drowning her out

I'm a retired teacher and I think the SATS pressure is absolute madness. It's putting children off learning when they should be looking forward to starting secondary school.

Original poster
SchoolOutForSummer · 28/04/2017 13:50

If not asked at pickup today, then I will send email/letter in Tuesday/Wednesday.

OP posts:
pollymere · 28/04/2017 17:34

If it was a safeguarding issue then, how have they got around the original problem? Either all the children should be in school, or none. They are usually classed as inset days so it's not an extra days holiday. I would definitely raise your concerns with the Head...and possibly ring your local Safeguarding number...

falange · 28/04/2017 17:38

You can keep your child home. It won't be marked as an absence on their record. The school will be officially closed.

Original poster
SchoolOutForSummer · 28/04/2017 17:39

They are going to keep the children in one room at the back of the school. They feel that meets safeguarding.

OP posts:
Princessdebthe1st · 28/04/2017 17:48

OP,
As a chair of governors whose school does need to improve their SATs results I would not agree to this. Both because of the ridiculously short notice and because of the message it sends to already stressed children. As the parent of a year 6 child I wouldn't be sending my child in.

Jessikita · 28/04/2017 17:54

YANBU if you've already made arrangements then tough for them. There's no way I'd be losing money for childcare or a lovely day out with my family just because the gov have decided last minute to have a general election next month. Why can't the kids just go in that day as until recently you always thought they were so they can bring them in that day and leave next Thurs as is?

Blinkyblink · 28/04/2017 17:54

I'd send in.
But I'd promise a treat when I picked her up, something she's mentioned. And then that evening would be "her" evening. She picks dinner, film etc.
It will probably be quite an unusual day rattling around the school as only yeat in. She might enjoy.

elfies · 28/04/2017 17:55

will you be fined if you keep bairns off ?

margaret61 · 28/04/2017 18:04

I am inclined to agree with Bad Knee, although I agree this is not a popular view.
Young people do need to learn that the world does not revolve around them.

my response to my own children - now in their thirties - was get over it!

thatdearoctopus · 28/04/2017 18:31

Most secondary schools do their own tests

Maybe they do, but they won't be the ones that are used to set GCSE targets. The KS2 results are set in stone (and children's Value Added scores set from their KS1 results, which are related to their Foundation Stage scores too.

The whole fucking system stinks and I'm sick to death of it. teacher here.

falange · 28/04/2017 18:37

No elfies she won't be fined if she keeps them off. The school is officially closed.

Jessikita · 28/04/2017 18:47

Mageret61 although generally I agree with you, it does annoy me when people let their little darlings do as they please etc, but I don't think this is one of those situations. I don't think it's fair of the school to mess people around. That's something I don't tolerate.

Flynnshine · 28/04/2017 19:04

It angers me more that they are willing to close the school for a day to use it as a polling station yet parents are dragged through hell if their child has an 'unauthorised' day off!
My DD's school closes for a day each term for 'pupil progress meetings' basically what we always referred to as 'parents evening' only we take the kids with us for the 15 min meeting and they have the whole day off school! Infuriates me!

user1484578224 · 28/04/2017 19:15

bloody cheek. let the kids have a day off.

mojojojo838 · 28/04/2017 19:17

Our local school is used as a polling station (specifically reception class) and so, none of the infants are in that day. I wouldn't worry about people being able to wander around the school and into your child's class in that respect.

However, I would be cross if I had planned something for that day and my plans would not change. My 10 year old came home with a timetable of exams yesterday. I smiled and rolled my eyes once his back was turned. They'll do what they can do, with what they've got, at the end of the day.

HoneyDragon · 28/04/2017 19:22

I wouldn't be massively thrilled about my kids in school on polling day. There were fisticuffs at my local polling station at the last GE.

Op UANBU it all seems very ad hoc and the children would probably benefit more from the break if pressures being placed on them.

ChocolateWombat · 28/04/2017 19:24

IF you really had booked to do something special on that day, that would be difficult to move, then you might have a reason not to send child in, and it would be right to return the slip or write a note to say why.

It is a bit annoying that this has happened last minute, but these things do happen and I think we have to accept se kind of annoyances occur in life. When they do, we have to decide if we want to make a big fuss out of our annoyance and insist on our rights to have what was originally stated (school closed to all) as some kind of point of principle, or if we can look at the bigger picture and see what is behind us and why it might be happening.

No doubt those teachers who will be coming in would rather have the day off too. However, they and the school have judged that this is crucial preparation time for the children. Personally I would accept their judgement on this and send the child. As a parent, you are perfectly able to explain what has happened and help them get over their disappointment. If you like, arrange a treat for another time.

I think that to choose not to go, and to not even be prepared to say in advance says a lot about your attitudes to education and the school. You aren't willing to support the school in its attempts to help your child do their best.

Yes, it is annoying that has happened wi short notice, but at the end of the day you can get over this. Will you support the school and see they are trying to help your child, or will you be one of those parents who works against the school? Really, that is your choice, as I see it. And you should recognise that is the choice. Yes,miss great to get an extra day off and it's disappointing to find you aren't getting it. But we have just had Easter and the kids will just have had a Monday bank holiday too,mso they haven't been short of time off.

When I read threads like this and see the responses saying 'yeah, take the day off, schools fault for saying it was closed to all, so stuff them' I just feel a bit sad. Isn't it this stuff compounded through a child's whole school career that partly accounts for differences in attainment? I bet the school can predict in advance who will be the parents who will choose not to send their kids in on that polling day.

Just think again OP. Don't see it as your right to insist on the day off. See it as an added opportunity for your child, support the school and take the opportunity.

user1493022461 · 28/04/2017 19:26

I am slightly concerned that they will not be able to monitor ALL the members of public who will be in the school voting and wandering on and around the premises and keep them away from the children

Please don't use implied peado-hysteria because you want your child to have a day off for "stress".

It's stupid and annoying.

ChocolateWombat · 28/04/2017 19:35

JESSIKITA 'I don't think it's fair of the school to mess people around. That's something I don't tolerate'

I agree that they haven't handled the situation well and should have thought through the Yr6 issue much further in advance. However, I think that these things happen actually we do need to learn to TOLERATE them and to teach our children to too and to see a bigger picture.

If a family have made major plans for that day, then fair enough, they won't be able to go. But if they haven't made major plans, really there is no reason for them not to go, beyond feeling miffed about being messed about a bit. Will people then choose not to go to make a point to the school about feeling miffed? What exactly will that achieve apart from the loss of a day of education?

Tell the school that it is very short notice and you would appreciate it if they can avoid this kind of thing happening in future. And then send the child.

It may well make a difference to their performance,mor it might not...you will never know for sure. But who wants to be the parent who hears their child say they couldn't do a Q that everyone else could because they did a lot of practice of that skill on the day they chose not to send them, because they were making a point to the school about its poor organisation?