To leave the child in bed...

[Singlebutmarried]

....and be late for school

She’s hardly slept this past week and she’s like a little zombie by about 4pm.

It's a bloody disgrace that little children and older ones are so unhappy and pressured they need days off.

She’s not unhappy, she’s just not enough sleep.

Had she been at her old school I’d have struggled to get her there. She hated it

*Pengggwn Mon 02-Jul-18 09:41:34
speakout

And yet, still, they would have been much better educated with an additional couple of hundred sessions of Maths, you'd imagine.

Anyway, your kids.*

But they are doing what they want to do- they attained what they needed to get into the University courses.

It wasn't an issue for us.

Same morning here. Had to wake dd up at 8 in the end!

speakout

You don't need to keep justifying it.

*Pengggwn

You don't need to keep justifying it.*

I will speak as I see fit.

I don't need your permission to post.

Yes perhaps so- but both sailed through exams and had multiple unconditional University offers.

Unconditional offers? If they decided beforehand that they would be applying to recruiting (rather than selecting) universities, they could certainly afford to take a few duvet days per month.

I would wake my DD up as late as possible and help her a lot with getting ready. They are tired by the end of the school year at this age, especially when the weather is so hot.
Later sleep would make bedtime even more difficult, but anyone might have a heat exhaustion and need a day off for cooling. It's not the same as having a duvet day.

speakout

I didn't say you couldn't. I said you didn't need to. This is looking very much like the lady doth protest, isn't it?

Unconditional offers? If they decided beforehand that they would be applying to recruiting (rather than selecting) universities, they could certainly afford to take a few duvet days per month.

These were not "recruiting" Universities, these were Univerities that my kids selected.
My daughter has received four unconditional offers in her last year at school.

I can understand why you might consider it, but it isn't something I would do, simply because DD1 in particular would see it as a precedent and keep asking for another day off. We've always made it clear to both our DDs that they only miss school if they're unwell.

A MONTHLY duvet day?!

Yup- not always taken, but I was happy with that.

@speakout My mum let me do the same- I got 5A grades at A level, it didn't do me any harm at all

Gosh, speakout. Pengggwyn was defending you. No need to snap.

I have a friend who gives her children duvet days once a term. That's not quite as excessive as one per month imo.

I wonder if these duvet day children are now taking a monthly duvet day from their jobs, as they see it as their entitlement?

My kids have had part time jobs since they were 16, they have not had a single day off from their employment.

I think there is some 'presenteeism' regarding schools. I do not believe that more time spent at school = better attainment. Not always. Most certainly not when it is about 'being at school for register taking' rather than 5 minutes or half an hour later.

Personally I have found that certainly at primary school age a child will learn more overall if they spend 4 days at school being attentive, full of energy, and healthy, and one day at home recuperating and resting, compared to spending 5 days at school feeling miserable and tired.

Generally, my child also learns more in one day spent at home (e.g. during 48h after being sick) than in one day spent at school. He misses his friends though.

So if I wanted to maximise my child's educational potential, I would be sending him to school much less regularly.

There are other reasons for regular attendance and not being late. For many children, they do not include 'maximising educational outcomes' though.

I know the statistics show correlations between attendance and outcomes, but they are statistics and say nothing about individual children.

I'm laughing at a monthly day off for no reason whatsoever

Brilliant

Just to add that DS has never been late and until recently had 100% attendance. I still hold that 'being present' at school is not the best strategy for maximising educational outcomes.

Wow @speakout you dont like people questioning you do you? Maybe not so keen on the opinion multiple people have about your 'duvet days'

speakoit I’d have much preferred DD to take a duvet day from a casual job than school. She only worked in holidays as she and I both wanted her to focus on her studies. There aren’t actually that many months that don’t have days off anyway - November sometimes, February usually, March/April maybe depending on Easter. Can’t see the necessity. Particularly if they are managing to attend work...
Unconditional offers are very rare, even amongst the last able students (I teach A level). They usually come from less competitive universities or are given to students with lots to offer but specific learning difficulties like dyslexia who might struggle to meet their exam targets for reasons other than intelligence/hard work. I don’t think I’ve ever come across a student with more than one unconditional. I’ve been teaching for 29 years.

I have no issue with people who disagree with my choices.

They worked for us as a family- that's good enough for me.

I really disagree with a 'monthly' day off when it isn't needed. Think about the stress caused to the child ( & in fact the teaching staff) when prior work is missed, so the child needlessly struggles with the next piece of work as they have missed the previous lesson.
I completely understand children needing time off when they are unwell, they won't perform their best if they are ill anyway. But, I don't agree with letting children take a day off, regularly, for no reason.

I'd be reluctant to do the duvet days as I plan to take my child out of school for a holiday abroad once per year which I think is enough time off if not poorly.Each to their own, you know what's best for your child