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

As a teacher I wouldn't want to have kids really suffering in class...it's not nice for them and only passes it on, I also don't like attendance awards. I see the rationale but clearly unfair on those who can't help it. That said, it does unfortunately make a difference especially in yr 10 and above. With so much pressure to deliver a lot of content in a short time, they can easily miss something important that could lose them marks in an exam. Parents often think kids can 'copy up' but this if so ineffectual in terms of learning. The amount of requests we get to photocopy other students books from parents of absent children and we spend ages stood at the copier...utterly pointless I'm afraid. You do get quite a lot of parents who let their kids stay off for spurious reasons. They always underachieve but it's not just attendance in those cases it's work ethic in general.

Um, we’re in Scotland and have attendance awards at our school.....

Um, ok.

I have only ever read people saying this doesn't happen in their Scottish school. My apologies for getting that wrong.

All of the schools within our council area and the 2 neighbouring areas do not do this.

I work from home, I let my kids stay at home at the drop of a hat. I also take them out of school for holidays 😱.
My mum did the same with us and I remember some of my friends coming to school miserable and ill and I used to feel so sorry for them.
My education didn't suffer, even missing almost half a year at 13 due to bullying.

Hopefully they’re getting phased out in Scotland then! I think it’s school specific round this area anyway, I’ve asked my friends and 2 out of 4 schools (primary) have them.

That was for bouncingraindrops my reply doodah wasn’t working.

I teach and don't think unwell DC should be in school. Obviously a cough or cold isn't always enough to keep them home and that's fine. But a raging temperature or a stomach bug (and we have so many lovely children come in and gleefully announce "I was sick last night" during bug season) means they're not going to be well enough to learn anything or engage.

I think it partly comes down to employers and the fact that so many businesses aren't run in a family-friendly way in the UK. Most parents can't just take days off at the drop of a hat which means they send DC into school who shouldn't really be there purely because their boss wouldn't understand, or because they've already had three days off with their DC over the last 18 months and don't want to become known as "that" employee. It makes life tough for parents and children.

@@Jammiebammie

I don't know about them being phased out. I have had kids through primary for the past 16 years and they have never had them.

9 year old missed the whole of the last term bar a few two hour sessions because of complications of connective tissue disease. On one of those sessions she caught chickenpox resulting in serious complications. She caught impetigo on the last day of term. We are taking delivery of her new wheelchair tomorrow and she is presently recommended not to return to school on Wednesday when term starts.

She got virtually full marks in the Scottish National Assessments on another short session. Attendance isn’t everything.

One person’s sniffle is another person’s hospitalisation. I know our case is extreme, but it happens.

Bouncing - I’m maybe going to ask about it when dc go back. Eldest is 17 and they had them at her first primary school, and they have them now at dc3s school, odd it’s only certain schools then.

My younger DD had an awful term in the January-April term this year attendance wise...
4 days authorised holiday
Scarlet Fever: 1 day as it was a Friday (they can't attend for 24hrs after start of treatment
Poo incident at school: 1.5 days (probably overeating fruit as no other illness signs but couldn't take the chance
Stomach bug: Week 1 3 days. Fine over weekend, so returned to school on Monday, sent home lunchtime, returned to school Friday.

So 8 days illness plus 4 holiday in one school term. All genuine illness.
That weeks holiday turned out to be the only time DH had off work except the odd day in 8 months. (Army).

Below 95% over the year... But not sure if we could have done that differently. I wasn't keeping her off for a sniffle.

I think the statistics about the effects of absence on exam grades are probably very misleading. I am willing to bet it's skewed by the fact that the kids who are off school frequently because of chaotic and problematic home lives do get very low grades (not necessarily directly because of the absence, but because of lthe lack of a supportive background). Whereas pupils who have even quite a lot of genuine absence but have supportive parents and a good attitude will do perfectly well.

I was sent to school come he’ll or high water and remember getting the piss ripped out of me for having streaming eyes in class and a croaky “lost” voice. I wouldn’t go to work like that (where your eyes and nose literally don’t stop steaming for a moment) and wouldn’t send ds. You can’t learn or contribute if you’re working through a whole box of hankies. A day in bed will get you better much quicker.

If my kids have a fever and seem really miserable and unwell I won't send them in. It's just cruel.

I think the statistics about the effects of absence on exam grades are probably very misleading. I am willing to bet it's skewed by the fact that the kids who are off school frequently because of chaotic and problematic home lives do get very low grades (not necessarily directly because of the absence, but because of lthe lack of a supportive background). Whereas pupils who have even quite a lot of genuine absence but have supportive parents and a good attitude will do perfectly well.

I think this is correct. One of mine was off school for months the year before National5's and she walked away with a bunch of A's and B's, went on to do well with her highers and is now in uni.