Sick kids in school. How really important is attendance?

[FishCanFly]

Plenty been said in holiday threads of how terrible it is to take even one day of school. Also that "sniffles" or a headache isn't a good enough reason to miss school.
But then when kids get full attendance awards there is a bunfight that it's selfish and unfair to send sick kids to school to spread germs - others get I'll and then their attendance is hurt.
SO LET'S DISCUSS

In my household, if they are well enough to learn and won't pass anything worse than a cold on to others then they go in.

DH and I still have to work. So unless the kids have lost a limb or caught the plague they can tough it out with a bit of calpol and go to school.

If mine feel like crap I'm not sending them. End of. Bugger attendance records.

Mine go in unless they are throwing up or have diarrhoea.
I am a TA and apply the same rule to myself.
Anything else take a tablet/medicine they/I will be fine it's only 6 hours.
DD is about to start Yr5 and has 100% Attendance all the way through.
DS is in secondary and apart from a week of for chicken pox in year 1 hasn't had any more time off.
They are both high achievers I can't say how much is down to good attendance though.

I think it depends on the age of the child

A minor cold/headache whatever is Calpol and send to school unless very young

Sickness absolutely time off, I think it depends on the child as well. There's no point sending a child in if they are too ill to pay attention properly, and it's horrible when you are genuinely ill in school. Parents know their children best

There's something to be said for teaching resilience but at the same time missing a day of school really isn't the end of the world

It's not one person replying contradicting themselves, mumsnet is full of a plethora of opinions.

I think a good work ethic is one of the best skills I can teach my kids. That means they will go to school unless they are very ill. I do follow the 48 hour rule of they have a big otherwise it's call and school.

If you have more than 2 periods of I'll health in 12months my employer will start performance management proceedings so I'm only ever off my work if I'm really ill. Same applies to the kids. Just a cold or headache means medicine and off to work/school.

I do think childcare impacts on this too.
As a SAHP I could send in, but say to the teacher 'DD is a bit below par, if she gets worse I'll collect her' (Most of the time she was fine).

If you work an hour away, or have a job that you can't just up and leave, maybe you can't take that risk and have to decide either they are definitely off, or they are going in regardless.

A lot of it is also about setting a good ethic for things. Getting into a mindset of “sneezed so stay home” doesn’t do anyone any good.

Ds has poor attendance generally for reasons out of anyone’s control (multiple medical conditions, operations etc) but he is very much aware if he is well enough he goes in. And school know that’s my approach

I don't understand those with 100% attendance at all. Our school often phones for me to come and collect for things that aren't deemed worthy of a day off on here - headaches, bad colds, earaches. Do your schools not call for "minor" ailments? Or do you just refuse to collect?
By often I mean more than once or twice each academic year for each child.

I’ve never really liked attendance awards, mainly for the reason you’ve given, but I can see why some schools and even out of school clubs do have them.
My youngest is disabled and misses a lot of school due to being in hospital. Always feel a bit sorry she’ll never get the chance of an attendance award, as she is always there and tries her best when she can be. Her school is good at giving other awards though and she got one for her increased confidence this year which was sweet.

It's not that it matters whether they miss that one day, it's the importance that's given to education in the home and the work ethic that's set up for life. If I'd go to work, DC should go to school.

We had a school nurse (abroad).
If they had to administer paracetamol for a fever, you were not allowed to return for 24 hrs after last paracetamol dose - ie no fever.
So, sickness, diarrhoea or fever = day off school.

Depends on school, for persistent sickness some may require letter from GP

My two go in if it’s a cough or cold, if they’re really miserable and aren't going to be able to focus I’ll keep them home. I do however take them out occasionally for non-illness stuff, ie we’re starting our October holiday a few days early.

I think attendance matters but other things matter too - their health, wellbeing, family time etc are important enough to miss school for. Their usual attendance is around 96% which I’m happy with.

In my DS school it's just full of children who are being sent home vomiting or unwell and then the parent will say 'they were sick in the night but they really wanted to come/had no one to mind them at home' nearly every time I am round there (it's a very large primary school) but there is always at least one child in the office with a vomit bucket !
Dreading DD started she's got various medical issues that 'simple' illnesses usually land her in hospital and I reckon she will hardly ever be at school because she will just be forever catching these illnesses and ending up in hospital !

If my child is ill they don’t go school. Ill children are different to ill adults and school isn’t childcare

I don't agree with attendance awards. Sometimes it's out of the child's hands whether or not they go into school. I don't think children should be penalised for being genuinely I'll either. Makes me laugh when some of the worst behaved children get a reward trip for attendance but some well behaved children don't get to go because they had chicken pox or a sickness bug. I get the sentiment behind the award but think its had its day.

In 5 years I've only been called once to collect DD and of course I collected her immediately

There is DfE research that suggests students with attendance of less than 95% on average will come out a grade lower at GCSE than someone with higher attendance. This is why 95% is the holy grail pursued by schools and Ofsted. It makes sense, of course PA must have a negative effect on outcomes.

I will be shouted down now by all the exceptions but that’s what schools are working to. And fine if you’re a grade 9 student who slips to an 8. Not so fine if you’re borderline 3/4.

Poor attendance can be an indicator of bigger issues for a child which is another reason it is a priority for schools. It can also be an indicator of plain bad luck - I personally had 4 horrendous colds one after another last winter and really struggled with cold 1 with a lost voice and lots of throat pain. Although I didn’t take time off, I probably should have with that first cold and maybe I would have avoided the next 3. Or maybe not.

One day off in the big scheme of things won’t matter. But lots of parents keep children off for mild colds and a headache. It isn’t great when you consider the future- you need good attendance at work to keep your job. I also think that often we feel groggy and miserable as we’re waking up and some people take that as illness when the reality is a couple of paracetamol gets most people through the day without problems.

Yes, attendance is very important and achool’s hands are tied in how they manage it. Common sense really isn’t allowed to prevail!

I do feel it's important to have good attendance and teach kids to have a good work ethic and DS has great attendance never 100% though because at some point of the year he will be unwell but he's generally very healthy and just lucky in that respect but if he is Ill I am not going to be sending him to school the best place for a young child who is ill is at home being looked after and not struggling on feeling utterly terrible in my opinion !

I should add that they have to catch up what they miss. It isn’t that school isn’t important!

I think attendance awards are dreadful because people can’t help being poorly so you’re essentially rewarding kids for something they can’t control and/or encouraging people to go in when they are poorly and spread germs which is really irresponsible.

I send my children in because I am teaching them what a good work ethic is, not to get an award, and they don’t miss school unless they are genuinely poorly (which is the same as me and DH and our work).

Says off for illness are fine.
Less fine are the days off for:

• birthdays
• parent can't be bothered to get them up
• sibling is ill and don't want to ask anyone else for help (NB don't want to NOT have no one)
• going on holiday AGAIN (NB not an exceptional one off)
• dental check up
• duvet day
• vague 'not feeling well' from child

etc

Some colds are a sniffle and a cough. Other colds are a raging temperature, awful headache and feeling sick. Surely you have to apply a bit of plain old common sense. I’d be FUMING if my dc caught a vomiting bug from school because another parent sent their dc in before the 48 hour rule had passed.