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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Is this your child? Staying home on Friday?

183 replies

NetballMumGrrr · 07/03/2023 19:47

Article about how more children are staying home on a Friday as their parents are at home?

Link to BBC News

I’m assuming it’s vulnerable children. Not sure why people are not valuing education more or AIBU?

OP posts:
SunshineGeorgie · 07/03/2023 19:49

Laziness!

Blinkingheckythump · 07/03/2023 19:52

Would it not be more reasonable to assume kids are missing Fridays because they are going away for a long weekend? I can't understand why they'd decide to keep the kids home on a Friday otherwise? I mean surely if their parents are working they'd want the kids in school out of their way whilst they work?

Blinkingheckythump · 07/03/2023 19:52

I mean why Friday and not any other day of the week otherwise

Original poster
NetballMumGrrr · 07/03/2023 19:53

But why would that increase post covid? People taking their kids out on a Friday to go away
And if it’s laziness, why such a disregard for your child’s education?

OP posts:
Skyeheather · 07/03/2023 19:55

Is it because the parents don't want to get out of bed to do the school run on their day?!

GabriellaMontez · 07/03/2023 19:56

Why are you assuming it's vulnerable children?

Sherrystrull · 07/03/2023 20:00

This is an increasing issue at my school. More and more children having random
days off and most of them are Fridays.

transformandriseup · 07/03/2023 20:00

I'm not sure what it means by mum and dad are at home? As in working from home? I find it really difficult to work from home with my child there unless it's for a very short length of time.

Also why Friday?

AbuelaGetTheUmbrellas · 07/03/2023 20:00

I think this is caused by more parents WFH on a Friday (the most common WFH day). If a child is ill Monday-Thursday the parents are more likely to get them to go in to school and soldier on through the illness, as the alternative would be the parents have to take time off work to stay at home with an I’ll child. Whereas on a WFH day (most likely Friday), the same logic doesn’t apply, so parents might be a bit more lenient in letting kids stay home as they don’t have to take the day off to facilitate their child staying home.

Mumma212 · 07/03/2023 20:02

NetballMumGrrr · 07/03/2023 19:47

Article about how more children are staying home on a Friday as their parents are at home?

Link to BBC News

I’m assuming it’s vulnerable children. Not sure why people are not valuing education more or AIBU?

Why is it your business to judge other parents?

Dancingcactus · 07/03/2023 20:04

"Why are you assuming it's vulnerable children?"

The article actually seems to indicate it isn't that group. It's parents who can work from home or possibly have flexible working.

Skintmamba · 07/03/2023 20:04

School attendance has been significantly lower since covid. It’s partly illness, partly holidays that had to be rescheduled due to lockdowns, but mostly there’s been a big attitude shift.

It’s hard to convince (some) people that sending their children to school everyday is essential when schools were closed for so long. Add in a few strike days and snow days and you will quickly find that parents who previously avoided taking their children out of school are now more willing to do so.

I’m not aware of many parents at our school suddenly having Fridays off work, but the days closest to the weekend / school holidays have always had lower attendance anyway.

There was a lot of damage done to mental health during lockdown too, and again this is adding to the quantity of absences.

KickHimInTheCrotch · 07/03/2023 20:06

I know plenty of semi affluent families who would think nothing of chipping off on their weekend break on a Friday lunchtime to beat the traffic thus keeping the kids off school. Probably not as much as the article suggests, maybe only a couple of times a year.

In my experience of working with less affluent families school absence also tends to be at a time that suits the parents but for different reasons and I think Mondays and Fridays are more common days to keep kids home. The reasons tend to be more around not getting up and ready on time and thinking it's easier to call in sick than be late.

gogohmm · 07/03/2023 20:06

Unfortunately there's always been parents who don't value education and can't be bothered to take them to school (or can't be bothered to argue with a moody teenager). At dd1's school which went into special measures they had under 80% attendance, the attendance team told me (was there a lot due to complicated sen) that most parents did value primary school as child care, younger kids actually need attention but by secondary school the kids were potentially useful (send to shops, pick up younger siblings) and didn't need looking after so as soon as youngsters started protesting at going to school they didn't put up a fight

DutchCowgirl · 07/03/2023 20:10

Friday is my day off… and on that day I finally have some time for myself when the kids are at school. I wouldn’t want to sacrifice that!

it does happen here that it is the day to be sick. On thursday we would really “encourage” the kids to go to school when not feeling too well (busy day at work for both parents) But on friday I am more relaxed about it.

LaughingLemur · 07/03/2023 20:17

A lot of it will be to do with illness. They go to school at the beginning of the week and pick up a virus and it hits them hardest by Friday. It's invariably been a Friday when we've had to take my youngest to hospital with breathing problems.

User18695438 · 07/03/2023 20:18

Mumma212 · 07/03/2023 20:02

Why is it your business to judge other parents?

Show quote history

It's not judging, children are meant to be in school, not on a jolly at home

fridaytwattery · 07/03/2023 20:19

@Mumma212 "Why is it your business to judge other parents?"

Erm, it's AIBU on Mumsnet, a discussion based board!

sixfoot · 07/03/2023 20:24

My two love school but I’ve found it hard to get them in on a Friday after the recent Thursday strike days. Is like they’ve already switched off for the weekend

Original poster
NetballMumGrrr · 07/03/2023 20:33

I’m not judging. Just discussing around why Friday is common and thankfully a lot of people are responding with reasons why.

I don’t get the because of covid piece, because isn’t the opposite true? They missed so much school they should be in school?

Yes I guess there always has been people who have a disregard for education. I come from an immigrant family and for us education has been our way out of poverty into better jobs. Education is valued so highly in our culture.

OP posts:
User57632678 · 07/03/2023 20:34

I think it’s probably a case of lots of office workers get to work from home on Fridays post-covid. So if their child is unwell or over tired they are far more likely to let them stay at home, whereas on office days more likely to send them in due to lack of childcare/difficulty taking time off.

fridaytwattery · 07/03/2023 20:34

As another PP said, there are always some parents who see school as childcare, somewhere their kids go so they can work or do what ever else they need to do without their kids with them. They won't see school as a benefit for their child, giving them opportunities for the future and their ability to support themselves financially as adults. This may be because they didn't have successful or beneficial experiences in school themselves.

Some parents though will also think it doesn't matter, because the odd day here and there won't have an impact (parents, it can absolutely have an impact!). Some parents will feel that as teachers are striking then they can feel justified in taking the odd day here and there.

Parents (and I'm one too, as well as a teacher) - education is there for your child, not you. To help them reach their potential, so they can have a choice of careers in the future, whatever that choice is.

[Also the soft skills like being part of a group, teamwork, negotiating tricky friendships, resilience etc]

Spottyheadband · 07/03/2023 20:35

Are they home or are they off on a jolly enjoying long weekends? 😉

I know in our school, many families go away for a long weekend. Which means Friday off school but not enough to trigger attendance letters!

Teatime55 · 07/03/2023 20:36

Attendance officer at a school I worked at told me Fridays were worst than Mondays for attendance. Lateness on Friday was a particular issue.
Attendance was always terrible on the last day before any break was an issue as parents thought it was a waste of time sending them in (day before half term is a totally normal day!). So we had to have competitions that week to keep the students coming in every day.

reddwarfgeek · 07/03/2023 20:37

My colleague was telling me they were asking school if they could drop Fridays for a couple of years for their son who is due to start in September (he has autism) but it hasn't been accepted.
Otherwise I don't know anyone who does this.