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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:
Pinkfluff76 · 08/09/2021 21:51

What the actual fuck. They should take their carrots out their arses and realise ill kids are now going to want to come to school. To jump the lunch q and pop up events. Fucking morons. So pretentious and just stupid stupid stupid and very badly thought out at a time like this. Please complain this is just awful!

Rollintodarkness · 08/09/2021 21:55

Sorry, late to the party and not read the full thread, but surely this is encouraging children to go into school when ill, which considering current laws is not acceptable or responsible behaviour from the school.

Ostagazuzulum · 08/09/2021 21:58

This is awful.

What if a kid gets covid? They can't help that - they get pushed to back of lunch queue? Ffs. I'd be furious if our school
Sent that out. There's ways to reward the kids that need extra motivation without discriminating.
What about the kids who live in troubled families homes, who want to go to school
But parents won't take them. How awful will they feel.

ALongHardWinter · 08/09/2021 22:04

Oh this pisses me off massively. They are so totally focused on bloody attendance that they completely overlook how well the child might be doing,despite not having a 'perfect' attendance.
My DGD,who is nearly 15,has some quite complex medical issues (duplex kidney being one of them) and over the last 18 months,has had to have time out of school quite regularly,either because she had been ill (repeated UTIs) or because she has had to attend all-day hospital appointments in central London. Her mum (my DD) has explained in great detail to my DGD's school about her medical issues,but unfortunately it seems to fall on deaf ears. Time and time again she receives narky letters home about DGD's 'poor attendance'. They ignore the fact that she consistently achieves high grades in tests and exams,because she works hard to catch up with any work she has missed. Makes me SO cross when I see stuff like this about attendance awards!

exiledfromcornwall · 08/09/2021 22:10

WTAF??? There are no words!

itsgettingwierd · 08/09/2021 22:11

@ALongHardWinter

Oh this pisses me off massively. They are so totally focused on bloody attendance that they completely overlook how well the child might be doing,despite not having a 'perfect' attendance. My DGD,who is nearly 15,has some quite complex medical issues (duplex kidney being one of them) and over the last 18 months,has had to have time out of school quite regularly,either because she had been ill (repeated UTIs) or because she has had to attend all-day hospital appointments in central London. Her mum (my DD) has explained in great detail to my DGD's school about her medical issues,but unfortunately it seems to fall on deaf ears. Time and time again she receives narky letters home about DGD's 'poor attendance'. They ignore the fact that she consistently achieves high grades in tests and exams,because she works hard to catch up with any work she has missed. Makes me SO cross when I see stuff like this about attendance awards!
Now that is resilience.

Working to overcome adversity and achieve well.

Well done to your DGD.

Nayday · 08/09/2021 22:15
  • Amazing! You have no disabilities - you win at life! Have an award, you awesome human you.

Coming soon, the all rounder award:

  • We'd like to recognise the achievement of you just fitting in and making our lives easier for our ofsted inspection! Gee whizz you cost us less money!

And the special mention award:
'Thanks for having wholemeal bread and no chocolate in your pack lunch! Made up research says 'You'll go far in life!'

And other pointless awards that you can't influence and mean nothing apart from Being Made Up apart from Ofsted liking them. Am surprised there isn't a 'Yo

Nayday · 08/09/2021 22:17

Yo-ing award? No idea what I was going to write there!

Ireallymissmetime · 08/09/2021 22:26

That is a ridiculous award!! Apart from the fact it discriminates against children who already have enough challenges (my DS has to go to hospital for treatment 3 times a year and undergo painful procedures which he does with the upmost bravery , the idea that he is further penalised by his school for not being resilient enough would make me apoplectic), it also encourages children who are sick to go into school so that they don't lose this award, therefore infecting others!!! Its totally irresponsible of the school and can only encourage the spread of covid. Insane idea

SleepingStandingUp · 08/09/2021 22:37

This is the bit that would piss me off. Resilience my arse. DS has already missed half a day because of a consultants appt regarding his dependency on o2 via a bad cannula. He's likely to miss another two half days before half term for the dietician who sees us regarding his PEG and his cardiologist regarding his occluded SVC. We've barely ever managed a whole term of attendance. Not because he isn't resilient but because he goes through more than most kids his age!

I would definitely be writing to complain op

To think this is fucked up (school 100% attendance)
TellerTuesday · 08/09/2021 22:51

This is by far the shittest idea I've seen a school come with yet and I say that as the parent of a DD who has just started year 3 with 100% attendance since she started reception. As a PP said it's nothing but pure luck that she's just never been ill in term time.

SeoultoSeoul · 08/09/2021 22:56

And will there be a corresponding award for the senior leadership team I wonder?
Utter knobs, this is completely disablist and also encourages kids who have viruses to go to school when they really should stay home.

saraclara · 08/09/2021 23:09

@SeoultoSeoul

And will there be a corresponding award for the senior leadership team I wonder? Utter knobs, this is completely disablist and also encourages kids who have viruses to go to school when they really should stay home.
As I mentioned upthread, my HT instigated this for staff as well as pupils. And one of those getting the award was (always) herself.

The staff who found themselves called to the front to get their award were always mortified. They usually didn't even realise they hadn't been off, and definitely didn't want to be acknowledged for it.

Tessabelle74 · 09/09/2021 01:36

This is likely to discriminate unfairly towards girls as they deal with periods etc, absolutely not on to lose out on perks for reasons you have no control over!

MakeMathsFun · 09/09/2021 02:57

I fully understand why they did it (as a 5% reduction in attendance can drop exam grades massively). However, it showed no allowance for many children who cannot possibly achieve it. As such it is emotionally damaging to those who least deserve further 'punishments' in life.

Nonetheless, I have witnessed schools that 'ignore' missed days due to mitigating circumstances, before allocating attendance certificates to individuals. Also some schools look more at 'improved attendance' over time. Some children would not want to wear the fascist badge in case they got teased for it too.

Write a letter to the head of the school and copy it in to the board of governors, describing the injustice. Include the responses from MumsNet too. However, the successful 100% students perhaps still should be praised, but quietly so as not to make others feel bad.

Here's an idea: Motivation points = Attendance (ignoring personal exceptions) + Effort + increase in personal progress

So a low ability child who is also absent due to illness, for example, could score as highly as a higher ability pupil who always attends.

Nayday · 09/09/2021 07:00

Here's a radical thought. Instead of praising kids for something they have little actual control over and sending out guff like this - maybe the school should focus their efforts on supporting kids with absence on, y'know - catching up?
Perhaps schools should receive some sort of attention of their own, if they don't?

itsgettingwierd · 09/09/2021 07:53

@Nayday

Here's a radical thought. Instead of praising kids for something they have little actual control over and sending out guff like this - maybe the school should focus their efforts on supporting kids with absence on, y'know - catching up? Perhaps schools should receive some sort of attention of their own, if they don't?
Exactly.

Maybe the children who cannot attend everyday can skip the lunch queue, have an earlier lunch and attend a club which helps them catch up and/or supports their MH.

Most children who don't attend everyday due to various reasons would benefit far more from a day trip out than those who get them.

And it always makes me laugh in irony that the reward for 100% attendance is a day off school to go to a theme park!
Yet if a parent did the same you'd get an unauthorised absence and a shitty letter.

Original poster
cricketmum84 · 09/09/2021 08:03

There was a similar scheme in place at primary school but it was based on whole class attendance rather than individuals. The class with the highest attendance percentage would get a treat the following week (things like movie and popcorn afternoon, non uniform day etc)

Where this fell down was if a student had a week of sick it would pull the entire class figures down. So your class wouldn't win and the kid who had been poorly would get glares from the rest of the class for making it so they did not win!

OP posts:
UndertheCedartree · 09/09/2021 08:09

Absolutely dreadful! I don't tend to complain about this a lot but I would this with full force. It is absolute bullshit and the very opposite of what a school should be doing - encouraging wellbeing and self care by knowing when you are too unwell to attend school and that that is ok.

UndertheCedartree · 09/09/2021 08:10

Not this, things!

bettyboodecia · 09/09/2021 08:14

@CherieBabySpliffUp

It's not rewarding their "resilience" though, just sheer luck that they haven't caught anything! Hmm
Just to play Devil's advocate, why is 100% attendance any more arbitrary or discriminatory than an academic or sports award, both of rewards accidents of genetics and parental input?
Londonnight · 09/09/2021 09:06

I hated these when my son was in school. He was diagnosed with crohns when he was 8. So even if the meds kept it under control he still had hospital appointments on average every 3 months. Had to have time off for monthly blood tests.

His meds didn't always control his crohns, so he spent time in hospital [ and attended hospital school which doesn't count towards attendance ]. There was no way he could ever attain 100% attendance.
It is time they did away with these awards.

SleepingStandingUp · 09/09/2021 09:13

Just to play Devil's advocate, why is 100% attendance any more arbitrary or discriminatory than an academic or sports award, both of rewards accidents of genetics and parental input? because my son can try and improve at PE or maths, he can't try and make his heart or lungs less scared and dysfunctional

SilverGlitterBaubles · 09/09/2021 09:17

The whole attendance thing is a joke considering how much they have missed over the last two school years. Please don't quote those 'if your child's attendance falls below x% they will fail GCSE' when for much of last two school years they were at home, mostly really not doing as much as they would in school but somehow seem so ok at GCSE Wink

DancesWithTortoises · 09/09/2021 09:29

@Littlepaws18

It's the government who have set this standard. Doesn't matter how outstanding the school is, if attendance is below National average that school is see as requires improvement.

It's not unique to this school is country wide.

Attendance figures do massively link to performance at GCSE. If your child is missing 2-3 days a month that's really excessive, and will impact her results.

That just isn't true. Both DSs missed weeks at a time every winter with chronic asthma. Both got straight As at GCSE and A levels and both have more than one degree.

It's utter bollocks to say absence effects results if the parents home school while the child is off. The school sent work home and the boys missed nothing.