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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this is fucked up (school 100% attendance)

523 replies

cricketmum84 · 07/09/2021 16:35

Recieved this letter from school before the start of term tomorrow.

I have a lovely, well behaved and studious year 8 girl who would love to attend 100%. However she had a bowel condition that causes extreme pain 2-3 days per month, enough so that she is unable to attend school.

Unfortunately she doesn't have the "resilience" needed to get these rewards.

Utter twats.

OP posts:
sloutside · 07/09/2021 18:55

Fucking awful.
I know what they are trying to do - ie. to encourage kids not to skive off for no good reason.
But actually it's just discriminatory. I'm disgusted actually. I had severe asthma as a child and was off a lot. It was not because I lacked resilience, it's because I was simply too ill to be in school.

It encourages people to send the children in when they are too ill to be there. They should not be in if they are ill and likely to spread something to others.

And all of that applies before you get to the fact we are "in the middle of a fucking global pandemic" (how I hate that phrase but this time it is relevant). These 100% attendance awards should all be suspended during the pandemic. If a child has to stay off because they have contracted COVID or are a contact person then they need to stay off. End of story.

Getawaywithit · 07/09/2021 18:56

Given that any COVID related absense is also going to count against schools this year in their absence figures - there is going to be a whole lot of batshit happening around attended this year I expect!!

This is the issue and this is what we need to be discussing with our MPs.

CanICelebrate · 07/09/2021 18:56

That’s awful. My son has a condition which means he misses a few half days each school year for hospital appointments. These awards make me so cross!

twocatsandtwokids · 07/09/2021 18:58

@Clymene

And at a time when Covid cases are going through the roof, it seems particularly unwise to encourage children to come to school when they're unwell
Totally agree with this
maddening · 07/09/2021 18:59

I would suggest that the school should make reasonable adjustments for dc with health conditions- especially now they are more geared up for remote learning a reasonable adjustment for your dd could be that she learns remotely on those days, or that these days are allowed exceptions.

maddening · 07/09/2021 19:01

And this year is daft for this stuff imo, as pp say we are still in pandemic conditions.

Knittingnanny · 07/09/2021 19:02

It’s dreadful that this is still going on. I’m a retired infant teacher and have fought against this sort of nonsense in schools I’ve worked in for 40 years. It’s ridiculous in infant schools where the attendance is absolutely nothing to do with the child but is deemed to be so when giving out the awards. It used to break my heart when some children were given ice skating vouchers for full attendance for instance. Meanwhile some of those children came to school with illnesses which they then spread to others.
Same with lateness, never the young child’s fault.
I would be strongly complaining.

GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing · 07/09/2021 19:02

Shocking OP. Especially in a pandemic!

I understand there are some kids who won’t win anything else, but why not have an effort award or something?

Ugzbugz · 07/09/2021 19:08

I'm 100% taking my son out of year 8 for the day in 2 weeks for a missed weekend so he will 100% nit have a 100% attendance.

Tbh he's had a few of those certificates and not because he's a Saint etc but really who cares? He's not going to look back and be like wow look at this.

After closing the schools for another week for testing i will 100% be taking a term time holiday. They can fuck off with their attendance, I've been so square for years when clearly closing schools is fine.

OmgIcantbelieveshedidit · 07/09/2021 19:08

So my DC who wasn't in school two days as she was sitting her GCSE in Year 9 at another school wouldn't get the 100% award.

My DC who is deaf and needs multiple hospital appointments in term time -as we have to wait 8 months for any appointment and don't get to choose -is will be discriminated against because of her disablity?

I would go fucking bonkers.

RiverSkater · 07/09/2021 19:13

I think you are quite right to read them the riot act. So
Many children with long term health conditions who will never get this and it's not from lack of Will to attend every day.

Plus, we are still in a pandemic and mental health in the rise and this resilience shite. The kids aren't robots.

Jumping the queue at lunch, that'll go down well.

Let us know what they say!

Kales29 · 07/09/2021 19:15

What a load of shite. Especially in current times with covid. Ridiculous.

A child's attendance can vary wildly year per year. A few years ago my son got full attendance and went on an attendance trip. The next year he was unlucky and had a afew bouts of illness and his attendance was 85 percent or something. Also attendance can vary between siblings.

I went to school with a girl who never had a single day off and was pretty proud of it. It wasn't because she never got ill - it was because she attended when she was ill and should have stayed off. Some things are tok contagiois to be in school. Or in your daughters case too painful for her to be in.

I would have hoped with covid that schools would have become less up their asses about attendance!

Jumpingintosummer · 07/09/2021 19:17

Absolutely disgraceful, very few kids miss school for the joy of it!

Also in a time where isolating is a social responsibility this is encouraging kids to come to school unwell.

RatherbeinCanada · 07/09/2021 19:18

Thats my DC fucked then. DS threw up after day 1! I could have sent him in but I'm not sure they'd want D&V plus covid in school.

flower11 · 07/09/2021 19:18

My DC should have gone back to school today but we are isolating with covid. So at this school they would be fucked from day 1!
It's absolutely ridiculous in the current state of things.

georgarina · 07/09/2021 19:19

I grew up in not a great situation and was late and absent a lot through no fault of my own. I remember age 7 having to take a good behaviour star off my chart whenever I was late to school - who could possibly think being late is the child's fault at that age? So ridiculous.

SunshineCake · 07/09/2021 19:20

Please make a stand. It is so unfair for those children with life issues that mean they can't go in all of the time. If teachers can't think of this for themselves then God help them.

heymammy · 07/09/2021 19:30

Can you imagine having to hand the pin back because you've been shitting through the eye of a needle for 3 days straight Sad

AngelsWithSilverWings · 07/09/2021 19:31

My DD got the 100% attendance award a few times in primary and I always chucked it straight in the bin. She once told me that a child was shouted at by his classmates because he was off sick the day before and it meant they wouldn't win the weekly class attendance award and get to pick the winners song in assembly. I wrote to the head after she told me that.

Now in secondary she has been diagnosed with Ulcerative colitis and will never again get an attendance award due to the nature of the disease.

It's so sad for kids with chronic illness.

takingmytimeonmyride · 07/09/2021 19:34

I really thought this kind of bollocks would disappear after covid. Sad

My kids are quite healthy, but even healthy kids get sick sometimes, and no child should be punished for something out of their control.

None of mine have even gone back to school yet because they all have covid.

It makes me so angry, and used to piss me off that I'd have to explain to one of my kids why he didn't get the treat his brothers had when he'd done nothing wrong except be ill.

And yes, it's very discriminatory to kids with illness or disabilities.

Sirzy · 07/09/2021 19:36

And even worse this actually puts those who have chronic illnesses at more risk because when people come into school when they are ill to keep up their attendance then the chances of them spreading their illnesses increases.

Ds has severe asthma so any bug goes straight to his chest. Now related to that he has an endocrine issue which puts him at even higher risk and means ANY sign of illness he has to stay off school for at least 48 hours.

I was really hoping that now we would have a much more sensible approach to attendance and children wouldn’t be encouraged to come in when Ill just to keep a number up

cultkid · 07/09/2021 19:39

OMG !!

Cringey and cruel

ArrrMeHearties · 07/09/2021 19:39

What a lot of shite that is and so unfair to the pupils like your dd who have health problems which mean she won't have 100% attendance

lannistunut · 07/09/2021 19:40

I absolutely hate this stuff. None of my kids have had health issues and often had 100% attendance but we always refused any prizes and told the school why. I would rather my kids were with the kids who can't acheive 100% attendance through no fault of their own - and for me that also includes those with complex home lives as well as those with health issues.

I am amazed this is legal tbh, it is so blatently discriminatory.

Thatsjustwhatithink · 07/09/2021 19:41

@Canigooutyet

I once got a rather terse phone call from school about these rewards. One of mine got one but refused to go up and get it. The HT asked why she said because she didn't want it. She was further badgered by the head to give a proper excuse. She eventually said because it discriminates against people like her brother who would never achieve an award and she didn't believe I the antiquated system of awarding perfect health. The head was more pissed off that she got a louder cheer and applause than he had, as she had disrupted the whole school assembly. That he didn't appreciate being lectured at. I was already "that" parent as I had previously complained about the system and that rewards should include all their pupils. Resilience can come from a number of different ways that doesn't have to include perfect attendance.
Yeh this totally happened.