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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think school should tell me asap if DC is unexpectedly absent?

35 replies

Londonmummy66 · 19/06/2019 13:24

I received an email mid morning today to say that DC2 was not at school yesterday and that this was an unauthorised absence. I'm pretty sure this is an admin cock up as there was plenty of homework last night. However, it made me think - surely if the school think the child is absent without permission they should be contacting the parent asap not halfway through the following morning. Surely this isn't normal practice?

OP posts:
Pinkmouse6 · 19/06/2019 13:27

Assuming your child is in secondary school, is it possible they’re skiving?

WhatHaveIFound · 19/06/2019 13:27

My DC's school wait until 15 minutes after registration on the morning. The only time i've got a call DD was sat in the car next to me as the email notifying them of a doctors appointment hadn't been entered onto their system.

Comefromaway · 19/06/2019 13:32

Ds is in secondary school and I have had a call in the past. Once was when a message about a dr appointment hadn't been passed on and the other was a mix up as he had been told to go straight to a school concert rehearsal instead of registration.

So yes, I would expect some sort of notification in case a child had either absconded, or something happened to them on their way to school.

Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 19/06/2019 13:33

@Pinkmouse6 - that was my first reaction but the homework that was done last night was the homework on the timetable for yesterday so hard to see how they'd have got it if they weren't at school. (And who skives and comes home and does nearly 2 hours of homework?) What worries me though is the idea that they didn't tell me - DC have an hours journey to school on public transport so anything could have happened on the way - the more I think about it the worse it feels.

OP posts:
Wolfiefan · 19/06/2019 13:35

The issue is that they probably have to contact every single parent of every single child. Have you spoken to the school yet?

floribunda18 · 19/06/2019 13:45

YANBU. Sounds like a cock up, one way or the other.

BogstandardBelle · 19/06/2019 13:46

At DS secondary, parents receive a text as soon as a child is marked absent from any class. The registration is done online by each class teacher and the system automatically fires an sms to the parents mobiles.

RogerAndVal · 19/06/2019 13:49

YANBU. They told you the next day?! Our school contacts all parents of unexpectedly absent pupils asap.

MyOpinionIsValid · 19/06/2019 13:50

Texts are automated and go out when the registers close.

CrohnicallyEarly · 19/06/2019 13:55

I was informed by about 10am when DD was absent and I hadn’t informed the office (it was a planned absence and I had sent a note in to the he teacher the day before)

This is in a primary school, DD was 5 at the time. I would say it’s even more imperative that parents of children who make their own way to school are informed of they are off unexpectedly.

Even in a school of 1000 pupils, absence rate is usually around 5% so you would expect 50 pupils to be off. Even if none of those absences were reported in by the parents, it shouldn’t take too long to send a identical SMS message out to 50 mobile numbers ‘your child has been marked as absent, please contact school’ or similar.

LittleAndOften · 19/06/2019 14:01

This must be an error. Schools have a duty of care to chase unexplained absences - they are in loco parentis. If something happened to a child on their way to school (heaven forbid) the system has to be robust enough to pick this up. It's a legal obligation.

I am guesssing it's a wrong box ticked or missed on an electronic register. I'd give the school a ring.

What does your dd say?

ooooohbetty · 19/06/2019 14:02

They should contact you on day of absence. There must be a reason they didn't do it on the same day. Staff sickness perhaps?

bigbluebus · 19/06/2019 14:02

When DS was at secondary he once had an appointment first thing that had not been logged and as I was driving him back to school my mobile rang. I got him to answer it and it was school ringing to report his absence to me! So yes, they should be contacting you earlier. Although I also once got a text at 3.05pm to ask why he was absent - but he was in 6th form and 18 by then and I wondered why they didn't contact him and ask him instead of me.

Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 19/06/2019 14:04

Thanks for the comments - just to clarify I got a message this morning to say that DC was not at school yesterday - seems I'm not BU to expect to know on the day.

I believe the school do a paper register morning and afternoon and an electronic one at each lesson so potentially 7 occasions when the "absence" would have been noted. The email I received was a standardised one which TBH I think should have been sent yesterday morning.

OP posts:
RB68 · 19/06/2019 14:05

I got a call at 3.15 on the first day of secondary asking where she was and whether she was to attend the school....

Bit of a shocker when she gets the bus in etc. As it turns out the bus was late due to traffic issues and she missed registration and they never thought to check late buses. Whilst they were on the phone I was able to tell them she had managed to have break and lunch food so something was astray with their systems - she was supposed to finish school at 3.15!!

Sissy79 · 19/06/2019 14:06

YANBU.

SunshineCake · 19/06/2019 14:36

I thought it was standard practise now that parents are called once kids aren't registered or you've previously notified the school of an imminent absence after the tragic murder of two girls?

I was on my way to hospital with dd once when school rang to ask if I had her. The receptionist had let her leave but there hadn't been a pass authorised. Good for school to check. Not good for the arguing that ensued.

ooooohbetty · 19/06/2019 15:08

OP schools have to send out texts when a child isn't in morning Registration. They won't to my knowledge do it for not attending lessons or afternoon registration.

Bunnybaubles · 19/06/2019 15:08

This happened at my dd's secondary school. We got her attendance sheet and there was an alarming amount of unauthorised attendances along with an invite to meet her guidance teacher about their concern over her skipping classes. Quizzed her about it and she insisted she was at school. She even showed photos her and a friend had taken in some of the classes the sheet said she was absent from.
Went to the meeting and after much persuasion guidance teacher agreed to investigate. Turned out several teachers were not taking the register properly! This was her final year before applying to uni!!
Also got phone calls from student support at random times accusing her of being absent. When I called her she was in class!! This was considered one of the top schools.

AJPTaylor · 19/06/2019 15:14

That is poor.
My dd in Year 6 walks to school. I would want to know asap if she wasn't there.
Older ones when in secondary told by 10.

catlady39 · 19/06/2019 15:27

Our secondary school does. And if they don't get a response they do a home visit.

When they trialled it, they found a child who walks to school after parents go to work, lying at the bottom of the stairs after a fall; so they kept it as policy.

Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 19/06/2019 16:00

@ooooohbetty - so DC might have made it into school and then skipped a registration later? I've asked the school to clarify the position - just waiting to hear from them.

OP posts:
Cannyhandleit · 19/06/2019 16:11

Did you ask dc?

Original poster
Londonmummy66 · 19/06/2019 16:59

Not home yet so can't ask until they get back but I'm really sure that they were at school all day (very conscientious and did quite a lot of homework last night).

OP posts:
MereDintofPandiculation · 19/06/2019 17:03

Depends how old they are.

My secondary school certainly didn't. Neither did my DCs secondary school.

Depends also how good parents are at telling schools of absences. If 99% of the absences are genuine and child turns up next day with a note explaining absence, and the other 1% is skiving, it's a lot of work for school to be telling parents in case of the minuscule chance that something has happened to them.