To be annoyed with school for harassing me about the attendance?

[Avigeth]

It's more of a rant than anything else but I still need some insights on this.
DS is 10 and in year 6. He's been enrolled there since year 4 . He does not miss school a lot. In fact, he brought home 4 awards for 100% attendance so far - the last one was for the previous term. In 2 years he missed less than 12 days altogether and that includes this week.
There is a nasty strain of flu making rounds in the area and, despite it not being quite life threatening, it still made him feel really unwell.
I am not the one to leave my kid at home just because he sneezed twice in a row, just the opposite - I did send him to school good few times with just a cold because a) I knew that it wasn't serious and b) - he is actually quite proud of his attendance and enjoys extra treats that come with that i.e. ice-cream or bouncy castle time on Fridays.

Now he's been off since Monday. Each morning I dutifully called the school explaining he's ill and will be staying at home. That was followed by a call from the "attendance officer" asking if he's coming to school and why not. On Monday I patiently explained that his cough is really bad and it makes him chuck every now and then. But then yesterday and today she started demanding a doctor's note. I told her that I didn't take him to the doctors because it's just flu . It's been only 3 days and it's clearly viral, not bacterial, so since antibiotics are not needed I just treat him with OTC meds, just as my GP advised me in the past. DS is much better now and I was planning to send him to school tomorrow as normal, but after the rude phone call and a text I got this morning I really feel like keeping him in until the end of the week ( I most likely won't but I really, really want to).

AIBU to be really annoyed to be a subject of Spanish Inquisition each time I need to inform them about his absence - especially that he missed so very few days compared to other kids in his year? And with the fact that I've been badgered for the GP note 3 days straight even though the Department of Education clearly states that:

Schools should only normally ask parents to provide evidence if they suspect the illness is not genuine and the parent is failing in their legal duty to ensure their child's attendance at school.

Schools are advised not to request medical evidence unnecessarily. Medical evidence should not necessarily be a doctor’s note if the illness was not treated by a doctor at the time. Parents can provide prescriptions, a doctor or hospital appointment card as proof of illness.

I really feel like I'm being called a liar...
I do realise that the school's budget depends mainly on pupils' attendance but in this case it seems to me that they care more about the money than kids' health. I always get annoyed when DS brings plague home just because some parents get bullied into sending their kids to school when they're still clearly contagious...

I hate attendance awards. As for 12 days in 2 years being a lot, DS2 had 10 days in a row off in year 1 due to a chest infection that hospitalised him. He's asthmatic and needed oxygen as well as antibiotics and steroids. So, a sick bug would be enough to reach 12 days easily. It's luck not great parenting that creates low absence rates in general. A friend of mine had an attendance meeting at her DC's school. She had to leave the paediatric oncology ward where her child was having chemotherapy to go to it. She wasn't even sure if he'd survive let alone when he'd be back at school. Needless to say her input was less than genteel. Happy to say her DS made a full recovery in the end

I've had a call from the attendance officer at DCs secondary school, and had a letter since. She said that DC had such a good attendance the year before, and they were just worried that there had been rather a lot of time off. I was a bit surprised, as there had only been two days off sick over the whole year, on different occasions, and we'd rung in on both days. The only thing that had changed is that DC has now had a brace fitted, and has to see the orthodontist every six weeks. The orthodontist won't book appointments out of school time, except for Year 10/11s. So we do have to go in school time, but I try to book early/late appointments, so DC only miss and hour or so, and I try to be careful which lessons are missed - so try to avoid key subjects.

SAO seemed ok about it when I explained, and was pleasant. And I did explain that this wasn't likely to change, until DC brace was removed. So we'll see if I get another letter or call at some point soon, I guess!

My son had poor attendance last year due to hospitalisation and I got the letter.

This year he had Monday and Tuesday off this week. I sent him back today loaded with calpol and tissues because I was worried about his attendance. I picked him up from school, he was crying in pain and had a high temperature. Took him to docs this evening and he has a bad ear infection. I feel a rubbish mum now for sending him to school, but I was so scared of getting agro again.

When he was in hospital I emailed pictures of him on the ward to prove it but still got stress for it.

... And i've totally jinxed myself with my last post at 20.07 because DD has just woken up and thrown up!! :(

She's fine after a book and a drink of water. She's a bit snotty ....

48 hours takes us to Friday night. sigh.

Just been given training on attendance. My school has an aim of 97%, national average is 95%, so I’m not sure why they’re so arsed about a child whose attendance is above the national average.

I don’t think it’s likely to be flu if he’s only needed 3 days off....

We don't have an attendance officer attached to our village school it's small,everyone knows each other & the attendance is very high.my daughters have both had 100% attendance since they started at 4 right up till year 6 but I'm super lucky as my kiddies seem to be cast iron,never catch anything,they've never had antibiotics...not because I'm some fruit loop but they've never caught anything !! There friends have obviously been poorly & our school makes the class sign a nice card & the teacher or assistant delivers it if there off for a while & a cheap little gift usually sweeties XX my daughters are miffed they've always missed out X would also say that our school does give signed leave for term hols no punishment is given to any parents..the attendance is so high I think our school values the kiddies effort more,shame more schools didn't do this X the school must be doing something right as all year 6 from last year who wanted to take the 11+ passed XX

I had this. Ds was off with illness twice, enough for his attendance to drop below 90%, which I know is excessive, but he has caught every bug going this winter. I suspect it is because parents are sending their children to school while ill. My GP issued a private medical note without charge because she is fed up of this particular school's demands.
DD has had two or three days of school almost each week this month, again children coming to school ill and spreading the virus, with some children vomiting in classrooms and playgrounds.I'm waiting to be chastised for her attendance levels, even though she had 100% attendance last term and during the summer term last year. I now try to book a gp appointment as soon as it starts to hopefully get one during the week, but very difficult this month, with no appointments available.

Look, before you lay into school pls understand that attendance is an inspection metric for schools. I'm a parent governor at DD's school which is in 4th quartile for attendance with a difference of 0.8% between 2nd and 4th quartile. This is an ofsted measure with no respect for contextual factors! Basically an attendance letter is partly, but not really, about you

@Drcoconut totally agree it's total luck on attendance,some kiddies pick up more than others.