Is this your child? Staying home on Friday?

[NetballMumGrrr]

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?

I think it's more likely they're not going anywhere particular....or possibly it facilitates a simpler 'hand over' to Dad. Sadly I don't think it's about 'family time', I think it's about parents opting out for a day.

It's not something she's done or something that affects her.

I don't see it specifically on Fridays but I do see frequent absences on days when at least one parent is WFH. I work in a school and several parents claim to be bemused why they find it more difficult to persuade their children to attend school on these days. That wasn't evident before covid.
Children have also had a taste of learning at home (often in PJs and on the sofa next to a parent or two) and those that enjoyed it want it to continue. On days when parents have to get to work they can't do that, but parents are still asking for teachers to deliver remote lessons (which means they are actually delivering two or more lessons at once) and can't understand why it is no longer an option.

My kids go to a very 'second home' school and Fridays are often sparse with attendance

Nope, my child is deposited in school every school day, come rain or shine, unless vomiting or feverish.

He's had time off for scarlet fever and chicken pox but that was unavoidable and in line with the NHS guidelines for school exclusion.

I have also been called to collect him twice from school because he seemed a bit tired or "wasn't himself" 🙄. In both cases, it was heavily indicated that he should take at least the next day off. Since my child was absolutely fine, we went to the playground, shopping and out for lunch one day and to the beach the other day.

Tbh it's easy to see how the Covid lockdowns/school closures have led to this. The government/schools were quite blase about online learning being fine and parents had to deal with schools being shut for so long, so it's understandable (if unfortunate and misguided) that some may be sceptical of schools now banging on about the importance of attendance.

@Mumma212 "It's not something she's done or something that affects her."

I'm not aware that's the criteria needed for AIBU? Lots of posts are about stuff that's not always based on personal experience and something they've seen online.

What do you think to the point the OP raised about attendance on Fridays?

My two are summer birthdays and in infant school they were often absolutely exhausted by the end of term. I think over the 3 years they probably had 5 or so Fridays off because I'd promised them if they could make it through the week they could have a tactical day off. I worked 4 days so it was not too much inconvenience for me and it meant they just about made it through to the holidays each term!

Part of this conversation is that schools were closed for months because of Covid. Either that is a big deal and we need to apologise to this generation for robbing them of their education and make significant plans for reparations. Or, it’s no big deal to miss some school. At the moment we seem to be glossing over the reason ‘why’ we now have attendance issues; schools shutting for months of end made people think differently about education.

Not sure about Fridays specifically but as a previous poster has said, there are big issues with school attendance nationally at the moment.

Lots of people must be particularly desperate for something to post about then.

I think it's up to the parents and the school.
If there's an attendance issue the school will discuss with parents...people it's actually relevant to.

OP is discussing a news story, people often discuss news stories on here. Maybe toodlepip off if you are not interested in the thread

@SplunkPostGres "Either that is a big deal and we need to apologise to this generation for robbing them of their education and make significant plans for reparations."
Being in school during a pandemic wasn't an option because the country didn't know what it was dealing with. Before schools closed, parents were already keeping children at home due to fear (I work in a primary).
Some reparations are in place now - funds were made available to employ staff and help kids catch up and keep up. Academically, the kids are behind but I see gaps closing. Emotionally, some are about 2 years behind.
I can assure you we are doing all we can to get the kids to where they need to be at pre-pandemic levels with the resources we have. Staff meetings focus on this quite a bit! I expect others schools are just the same.

I'm in Scotland so Fridays are a half day anyway (school finishes at 12.30) and there's always less children lining up in the playground those mornings. I do wonder if some parents think there's no point for the sake of 3.5 hours.

@Mumma212 "Lots of people must be particularly desperate for something to post about then."
Nice way to effectively insult people on this thread.

"I think it's up to the parents and the school.
If there's an attendance issue the school will discuss with parents...people it's actually relevant to."
Of course, but OP is welcome to post this on AIBU and ask for opinions. That's the nature of the board - it's not a support board -and nobody has to respond if they feel they have nothing to discuss.

I agree with this.

Iv a few friends who have fridays off work. They say its much cheaper to take kids to attractions and do things with them on a Friday.

I think this nails it.

There is certainly a feeling of "well, if it was OK for them to be off for FOUR MONTHS at at time then it's ok to be off for the day".

Plus both my kids school have done lots of half days in past 4 months. It does make you a bit meh about attendance.

Maybe many parents value education, but don't consider school to be particularly good at it.

Secondaries have gone to the dogs. I can't wait for my eldest to leave, and I'm not sending my youngest two to state/mainstream secondary. You couldn't pay me to.

God where are these jobs that have Fridays off? I've been looking for one for years but everywhere locally is FT only!!

Jealous of all these part timers (but yes, kids need to be in school!)

I think a lot of people are jaded and fucked off. Everyone's knackered. I can see why people are doing everything a little bit less or a little bit worse than before.

I'm not willing to judge individual parents, but clearly the rise in non-attendance is a worry.

I wonder how much fight I would have if mine hated school? I'm lucky mine never ask(ed) to be off.

This has made me think. Before covid my kids never had random days off school but last year took them out a Friday in May, returned from hols 2 days after term started in September and will take daughter out of school for a Friday in April for a weekend away. It’s hard to explain but I realise our attitude has shifted

Those parents are insane.

I don't work Friday and I cherish those six and a half hours of total freedom.

I suspect it’s to do with either

-kids have less resilience since covid and many are not coping as well so exhausted by Thursday.
-the govt peddling propaganda to discredit the fact that a four day week is working incredibly well in trials so far and many ceos hate this.

I am guilty of this. My bar in terms of sickness is lower on a Thursday when I am naturally at home than the other days when I am at work. If I’m at work then unless it’s D/V then you can often go in propped up with calpol. On a Thursday I might let them have a duvet day especially if they have been soldiering on all week feeling miserable.