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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

To be annoyed by this letter from school?

19 replies

TinselTit · 19/01/2022 11:41

For context I have two children in the same school. My youngest (6) came out of school yesterday with a letter to state that they weren’t happy about his attendance and to suggest maybe I attend a meeting at school if I am struggling getting him to school.

The only times he has been off is because they sent him home after being sick in school. This happened 3 times since September and I was told he couldn’t return for a full 48 hours.

I spoke to the doctors who said to keep a food diary to see whether anything triggers this. He has only ever been sick at school and is fine once he is home. Since keeping a food diary, it hasn’t happened.

The other time he was off was because he tested positive for coronavirus which the school knew about and it was when they had to be off for ten days.

I don’t know what more I can do but the letter has made me anxious that it looks like I don’t look after him. With everything with lockdown I already worry he is behind.

His brother attends the same school and has been off once for an ear infection so it’s not that I just can’t be bothered sending him or anything like that.

OP posts:

SunnyLeaf · 19/01/2022 11:45

Is it automatically generated based on days off? I would ring them

CuriousaboutSamphire · 19/01/2022 11:47

Write back and say what you have said here.

Chances are this has been auto generated, in part, because of his attendance numbers. All you can do is put it in writing: they sent him home, he was sick in school, they said he had to stay out for 48 hours, that he tested postivie for covid and had to isolate. With that on record they would be hard pressed to make a case for taking any further action - which is one of the reasons they send the letters out, so they cannot be damned by Ofsted etc for not following up!

It's the rough end of safeguarding. But it does need to be done and the school needs your input to make the numbers make sense.

BlueSky8 · 19/01/2022 11:47

Tell them what you've just told us.

He's off because you send him home and don't allow him back for two days.

SnowDropMania · 19/01/2022 11:47

You could email with explanation you've put in your op and say "If you would still like to arrange a meeting to discuss this let me know"

mumofmunchkin · 19/01/2022 11:47

It's probably automatically generated because his attendance has hit a certain %. I would ring the headteacher and have a chat about it, and decline the meeting they suggest.

MorningStarling · 19/01/2022 11:48

It sounds like an auto-generated letter. It's probably in their policies that they have to send a letter after "X" number of absences within a certain timeframe.

It's nothing to worry about, just explain the reasons why and if they expect you to consider sickness differently in future that's for them to deal with.

Tal45 · 19/01/2022 11:48

It's pressure from Ofsted, attendance is something they look at. No common sense involved and obviously no one has looked at why he was off. Don't worry about it, you're not struggling to get him to school so no need to attend a meeting.

RedCandyApple · 19/01/2022 11:48

Sounds like a standard letter to me, nothing personal

girlmom21 · 19/01/2022 11:49

I agree it's probably automatically generated and they won't bother considering the reasons why.

They look at attendance percentages as that's what's reported on.

SnowDropMania · 19/01/2022 11:49

And you could add to the letter that no you aren't struggling to get him to school . Just keeping him off if he's sick or has corona

Clymene · 19/01/2022 11:53

It's automatically generated by a system that is obsessed with attendance. Just bin it. Clearly you don't need to attend a meeting as you don't struggle getting him to school!

Topseyt · 19/01/2022 12:01

Email the school telling them exactly what you have said here. The reasons for his absence were perfectly valid each time so you have no need to worry. For the sickness incidents you were following school policy and for the Covid incidents you were legally obliged to isolate him.

It will be one of those automatically generated letters, I'd be willing to bet. I imagine that a fair number of them are being sent at the moment, probably triggered by isolation due to Covid testing in a fair number of cases. I am sure that repeated isolations cause absences to skyrocket and easily breach the threshold for sending a letter.

Just get in contact with them and I rather doubt that there will be any further action taken.

elliejjtiny · 19/01/2022 12:06

It will be an automatic letter they send to everyone when their attendance drops below a certain %. I was upset the first time I got one for dc4. He has hydrocephalus so spent a lot of his early years in hospital. Thankfully it stabilised when he was about 5.

Clymene · 19/01/2022 12:07

There's not much point in emailing them. They know all of that but they have to send the letters out for ofsted.

elliejjtiny · 19/01/2022 12:08

Forgot to add that the letters are just so they can prove to Ofsted that they are doing something to improve attendance.

Oldraver · 19/01/2022 12:13

Just tell them what you have posted

When DS2 was in Y1 the whole class went down with Chicken Pox and most had 10 days or so off. We all had the letter asking us to explain ourselves and how we were going to cut down on future abscenses. We were all summoned to the Head to explain ourselves

I told the Head it was ridiculous and that I would try in future to not let him get CP

BlingLoving · 19/01/2022 12:39

Agree with PP, it's probably automatic and they have to send it. I'm fully expecting to get one about DS. I've actually discussed his attendance with his teacher, we both agree that the time off he's had he has needed. We also both know it's entirely unusual and we're hoping that assuming he goes back to his usual healthy self, we'll get the overall percentage up again over the next couple of months.

Foolsrule · 19/01/2022 12:54

Covid absence should be recorded differently so those days should not be counted in your absence total. If they are, the school is wrong. If they’re not, you’ve been off enough time to trigger the letter.

LittleOwl153 · 19/01/2022 13:08

@Foolsrule sadly covid absenses are not now recorded separately and as of Sept they do count in absence figures.

@TinselTit i wouldn't worry about the letter you could just ignore it or you could respond detailing the days he's had off school. Either way it isn't going to make much difference as it is as others say a tick boxing exercise for ofsted and school will already have this information.

I do find it really hard that they send these letters home with the kids with no warning. Many parents will just ignore - however for some it is another kick I'm the teeth when they are already struggling and doing the best they can. Yes the absenses need to be on the radar of the safeguarding team - but they do need to he are of the pressure they are adding at home I feel.

I'm expecting such a letter as my dd had covid and the had some time off for appointments around d her disability. I just hope that they post it / email it or I if they must send ut through her that I can pretend it's something else as I will devastate her and she will believe she in trouble for things that are beyond her control. (She's 12 and very aware of such things).

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