To think this attendance mark is a bit harsh

[OnlyBaBaBiss]

Got DCs reports home today

Our attendance and punctuality are marked red amber and green according to percentages, we went on holiday in September (authorised but obvs still count towards absences) so I knew our attendance wouldn’t be green but was expecting amber as the DC have only had maybe 2 days off each all year

Anyway DSs attendance is ‘red’ - he missed being in amber by half a percent so 1 school session which is annoying in itself, but then looking through the breakdown of the year the odd session that took him over the threshold was 1 afternoon where school sent him home because of an injury that happened during one of their lessons

Now I know I know they have to draw the line somewhere lalala
But it’s so frustrating that it’s happened like this and now DS won’t get the attendance/punctuality treat as a result

Use some of the 3k you saved on the holiday to give him a similar treat in the holiday. HTH.

Next time there is an attendance treat and he gets to go spare a little thought for all our dc who by reason of their disability will never have 100% attendance or even within half a percent of that.

I hate attendance awards, but can’t have any sympathy for those who miss out because their family have made a CHOICE to be off school.

Ds School doesn’t do attendance awards beyond a certificate thankfully. His Health needs mean he will never get a high attendance. But hey ho his health comes first!

I've never taken my two out of school. The eldest pretty much has 100% attendance since reception, the youngest is now yr12 and has never had 100%.

Who cares?

You went on a term time holiday. Your dd was very lucky to not be in the red. Your ds wasn't as lucky.

At my boys school they have a big certificate and a book token if they get 100% attendance for the year and a little certificate if they get 100% attendance for a term. My disabled ds has never got either but this term he was lucky and all his hospital appointments have been in half term or after school. He hasn't been ill and he thought he would finally get the small certificate. Then he had a totally avoidable accident on a school trip and was off school for 3 days. He won't be getting the certificate now.

I have absolutely no sympathy for people who go on term time holidays and then moan about the consequences. We can't go on holiday in school holidays either so we just don't go.

You pay your money and you take your choice. You chose to take your DC on holiday during term time. It's irrelevant if it's half a day, had you not gone on holiday he would be well within the frame. I assume you think a 3k saving trumps your child getting an award?

I have two children with 100% attendance, and one without it due to illness/injury.

Punishing children for being ill or injured is infuriating

By all means, clock if children have gone on holiday during term time or just decided not to come in, but to acually punish illness is really pathetic imo.

I have absolutely no sympathy for people who go on term time holidays and then moan about the consequences

This ^^

They are usually the ones that moan most about school too despite not valuing education as they ditch it so easily.

Does it really matter, jeez.

To miss school for a holiday and then moan your DC hasn't been rewarded for his attendance, is just ridiculous.

They would have both been green if you'd not had the holiday. Maybe you should have tried harder at school OP.

The thing that tipped him into red was you deciding to remove him from school for a holiday.

Yabu - surely the holiday compensates for the attendance award and if he complains you can explain that to him.

Some kids will never get an 100% attendance award due to ill health no matter what.

Some kids will never get achievement awards because their abilities are stupidly classes lower than the government's attainment threshold. Some kids may get awards for development over the year to show they have really enjoyed a subject.

But please teach your children to enjoy the whole experience. To be honest saving that much is amazing and I wish I could. I have a school term time job myself so I now can't take an extra day. Tho I have done in the past.

Unfortunately it does depend on the school. Mine will never get 100% and never achieve there gold award (team house points) not for the fact of not trying but health and the simple fact they are not the first to put there hand up in class often means they miss out on 'extra points.

My kids had yesterday off as they were exhausted and with the heat couldn't sleep or focus. There school understood and even though it's unauthorised I don't care. The teacher even said she want sure if we had gone on holiday early and she didn't mind.

You can't have it both ways - good attendance and a holiday in term time.

" now DS won’t get the attendance/punctuality treat as a result"

Why would he have got it if he had been in amber anyway?

@Yacka

I guess you missed quite a few days of schooling too.

Aurely only children in the green would have the treat, so if you expected amber he wouldnt have it anyway.

It’s a shame but it hes below he’s below. Maybe a good teaching opportunity about not everyone winning and get prizes all the time?

OP, clearly it was the holiday that means he got "red", don't be daft

Oh dear not quite the responses you were hoping for. There’s worse things in life than this. How on earth did you manage to get authorised holidays?

Attendance treat? Wtf is that? And enjoy your future holidays inside term time. They are the best and most rewarding treats you can give your child. Just because the school treats attendance like a military operation doesn’t mean you have to take it as seriously. As long as your kids education isn’t suffering (oh but it will apparently 🙄 - even though I haven’t seen any evidence....) then relax.

School attendence rules are very rigid and have no discretion on the school's part.

I once thought that DS had 100% attendence until his school report in the last week of the year. Turned out it was blown by 90 minutes when I had to take him for an X-ray for an injury sustained in class and he missed the regestration window. I now know that it's better not to be efficient and go ASAP to minimise time out of school. Better to have them "there" and waste a bigger chunk of the school day with increased travel and waiting because it's the regestration time that counts

Mine will miss 100% attendance this term as for the first time this school year I had to pick them up early as 1 had an emergency dentist appointment today due to one of her teeth shattering last night. I got them 10 mins early to get to the appointment on time.

I agree with everyone else . I hate attendance aw awards however I would resent even more the school budget been spent on a child who had a term time holiday and that includes your Dd.

That's how it is for schools isn't it? All about the percentages, and it's not initiated by them. In a smaller primary school they get one child missing SATs and it can be the little percentage that takes them below national averages... the whole data-driven mentality stinks.