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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:
Bellyups · 07/09/2021 22:08
  • will think this is ridiculous
Lostmarbles2021 · 07/09/2021 22:10

I’d complain. Not ok. We had this in my old NHS job. A certificate for 100% attendance. FFS.

Carrierpigeon · 07/09/2021 22:32

I have a high bar for getting worked up, but what a cruel environment this creates. The obvious implication that ill kids lack resilience! WTF?

Original poster
cricketmum84 · 07/09/2021 22:39

I'm rallying the troops on the year group Facebook group! The more people that complain about this the better.

I will send a more thought out and considered complaint tomorrow as I can see my original email was a little high emotion! They are saying that covid related absences will not affect their attendance rates but come on! As if covid is the only bug/virus flying around?? Our kids have been masked up and protected from every bug for god knows how long, I'm pretty sure they will all be falling ill with random bugs in the next few weeks.

OP posts:
Stopsnowing · 07/09/2021 22:41

This has always been a terrible idea. Even more so in times of Covid.

Stopsnowing · 07/09/2021 22:42

Just seen your last post. So all you need to do is give a covid related reason.

Original poster
cricketmum84 · 07/09/2021 22:48

@Stopsnowing

Just seen your last post. So all you need to do is give a covid related reason.
Problem is now that people under 16 do not have to self isolate unless they have a positive result themselves. Even if someone is positive in their household (forgive me if I have misunderstood the rules) so they would ask for proof of a positive pcr.

Also I don't like telling white lies as they almost always come back to bite you on the bum 😂

OP posts:
Skysblue · 07/09/2021 22:48

Complain to the school and to the governors. Tell local press perhaps that scjool is bullying people who obserf isolation rules. Mumsnet can’t help.

That is horrible tho. I absolutely despite this shit. Every year there are sobbing kids in playgrounds across the country who don’t understand why they didn’t get an attendance certificate and think they’ve been bad because they’re ill.

Skysblue · 07/09/2021 22:50

Os the last time my son was given a ‘well done’ on attendance certifi ate I asked him to throw it in the school bin and had to explain to him that it is a sign that the head is stupid. I don’t think these certificates have the effect the schools think they do.

safclass · 07/09/2021 22:57

Or have caught something but because 'they wanted to come (or too much hassle for parents if they're off)', parents still bring them to school, they get their 100% attendance while passing it on to kids whose parents keep them off because they recognise their child should NOT be in school!

username4s · 07/09/2021 23:01

@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
This!!!

I would definitely be complaining. One as it is discriminatory and two it could cause more bugs to spread as children will come in ill to avoid losing their badge.

PasstheBucket89 · 07/09/2021 23:25

it also encourages parents to take unwell kids into school which is extremely irresponsible

Twofurrycats · 08/09/2021 00:16

Tick box exercise for ofsted. And a lazy one at that.
The majority of children will come to school when well and stay off when I'll.
Some will come to school when ill (and generously share the germs)
The children who actually need support relating to attendance aren't going to get it through a 100 % award.

Beckxx · 08/09/2021 00:26

I’d be making sure I had a few days off sick!
Having that badge on my jumper would make me feel the equivalent of a Briefcase Wanker!

Birdkin · 08/09/2021 03:02

@Scarby9

A few years back I was in a primary school end of year assembly, the day before the last day of term.

The headteacher announced that there were 'now some very special awards for some very special children. These are children who really value their education and understand how important it is to be in school EVERY DAY so they can learn. These children have been in school EVERY SINGLE DAY this year. They have never ever missed a day or been late to school. They have never stayed at home because they couldn't be bothered to get up in time or because they didn't feel like coming. If they had a bit of a cold, they didn't stay off; they understood that they were still well enough to come into school and get their education. These special children - and there are only 21 of them in the whole school - as well as getting their 100% gold badges, will be getting a McDonald's voucher each! So let's be ready to give each of them a HUGE round of applause.
And the first person with 100%attendance is... Sam Brown!!'

  • Pause-

'Sam, where are you? Come and get your prize!'

A child's voice from the back of the hall:
'He's in Portugal on holiday - went last night'.

Ironic applause from the parents...

I worked at a school that did termly attendance awards (always got my goat as not only are these awards discriminatory generally this was infants and they literally had no agency in their attendance at all) and you could guarantee when the head read the list out several of the kids were off Grin

Also surely this is just encouraging older kids to bunk off so they don’t have to wear an embarrassing badge

PocketPeanuts · 08/09/2021 07:06

I'm sure much of this has been said already as I haven't read all the comments. I know people have mentioned how this goes against the Equality Act/is ableist due to it not mentioning absences because of disability in the obvious sense but what rarely gets talked about is how often the pupils who are deliberately 'bunking off' have undiagnosed hidden disabilities and actually can't attend school due to the environment being inappropriate but nobody realises/cares.

So many autistic kids, for example, are not diagnosed during school (I certainly wasn't) so they have no official protection but they know they can't cope with school (maybe for sensory reasons, maybe the social pressure, maybe because of teachers not understanding their communication style and punishing them for being 'rude' etc.). They don't go in and are branded trouble makers when, in reality, they simply cannot cope with school and need more support.

This sort of policy makes those situations worse.

(On top of the concerns regarding Covid and complicated family situations and all the other reasons people have mentioned.)

malificent7 · 08/09/2021 07:08

Yesh this attendance bollocks at any cost even when sick has to stop...at work aswell as home.

Original poster
cricketmum84 · 08/09/2021 07:11

@PocketPeanuts

I'm sure much of this has been said already as I haven't read all the comments. I know people have mentioned how this goes against the Equality Act/is ableist due to it not mentioning absences because of disability in the obvious sense but what rarely gets talked about is how often the pupils who are deliberately 'bunking off' have undiagnosed hidden disabilities and actually can't attend school due to the environment being inappropriate but nobody realises/cares.

So many autistic kids, for example, are not diagnosed during school (I certainly wasn't) so they have no official protection but they know they can't cope with school (maybe for sensory reasons, maybe the social pressure, maybe because of teachers not understanding their communication style and punishing them for being 'rude' etc.). They don't go in and are branded trouble makers when, in reality, they simply cannot cope with school and need more support.

This sort of policy makes those situations worse.

(On top of the concerns regarding Covid and complicated family situations and all the other reasons people have mentioned.)

Yes I agree completely.

My eldest had 2 years out of school. Nothing I could do would convince her to go in. We also spent all of that time waiting for her ASD and ADHD diagnosis.

Thankfully she is now settled at college in a much better environment for her!

OP posts:
MrsScrubbithatescleaning · 08/09/2021 08:07

Isn’t this one of the few threads that’s ideal for THE (FUCKING) DAILY MAIL?

I’m sure their readers will be very interested in these lunatic 100% attendance schemes, especially if it’s encouraging children to attend when they have Covid symptoms.

IdontUnderstamd · 08/09/2021 08:27

@MrsScrubbithatescleaning

Isn’t this one of the few threads that’s ideal for THE (FUCKING) DAILY MAIL?

I’m sure their readers will be very interested in these lunatic 100% attendance schemes, especially if it’s encouraging children to attend when they have Covid symptoms.

I wish they would tbh as someone needs to out these schools and their discriminating
shouldistop · 08/09/2021 08:31

Absolute bullshit.

I remember being gutted that I didn't get an attendance award for girls brigade as a kid. The only time I'd had off was for an emergency appendectomy. I stopped going soon after.

My husband used to go to boys brigade and didn't get an attendance award as he didn't attend church - he's not Christian. He stopped going too.

Obviously kids can't stop going to school but 'clubs' like this could stop children engaging enthusiastically if they feel the unfairness of it.

Jemand · 08/09/2021 08:38

@Cannes12

It's awful but not the school's fault. Schools are put under huge pressure over attendance. You can fail an ofsted for it. They have to be seen to be doing something.
It certainly is the school's fault. No-one makes them choose a stupid and discriminatory rewards system. The chances that Ofsted will fail any school for attendance in current circumstances are zero, anyway.
Jemand · 08/09/2021 08:46

Even if they make exceptions for children with disabilities and covid, that still doesn't address the problem. It will still be grossly unfair to children with one-off illnesses and injuries, or children from chaotic homes who just don't have uniform or who are made to stay home to look after siblings etc.

Sirzy · 08/09/2021 08:50

And all the exceptions do is further highlight those children as different to their peers too.

If a school is serious about tackling attendance issues they need a personalised case by case approach to work with young people and their families NOT a one size fits all which actually adds to problems.

Ontheroadtorecovery · 08/09/2021 08:52

At my dc school it's not as bad as this but there is certificates handed out every half a term for this. He missed out on 1 for having about 2 hrs off one afternoon to attend his hospital appointment with consultant I know he was gutted and only little. It has as a pp said sheer luck for those that haven't caught anything really totally unfair to penalise children for being unwell or attending medical appointments