Son didn't go to school for three days.

[Spopssas]

School rang me on Monday, saying did I know that he hadn't attended that day, and was absent for three days last week.

No I didn't.

I'm sure the OP is dealing with her son. That wasn't what her post was about though was it. The school have a duty of care and have failed with safeguarding here. No other secondary school that I know of would allow a child to be absent for even one day without contacting home, let alone more than that so wind your neck in

Do secondaries send you a text even if they have had a call to say the child won't be in.

Because its not beyond the average teen to know how the system works and call in their own absence, even if they are pretending to be mum / dad.

Let's face it we were all teens, and I know certain girls in my class wrote their own 'unfit' note for PE.

I get a phone call every Wednesday when my daughter is in a music lesson at school having travelled to school on the school minibus asking me why she isn't in school because she wasn't in registration. I can't believe a school would leave it that long to call you - terrible from the school.

A school not noticing a child is absent who hasn't been reported absent is a safeguarding fail.

Whether people think schools should be responsible or not - legally they have a duty of care to know who has turned up, who's reported absent and to have contacted a parent/ carer.

And I'm guessing all those blaming the op for not knowing where her ds was don't have teens?

Most travel to and from school alone. You have to assume if they get on his or whatever they have gone to school. Many don't!!!! They slice. That's why if they don't turn up schools should inform you.

Our secondary school has a app that sends you a notification if a pupil isn’t at morning registration.

Primary school doesn’t notify parents.

This. I'm astounded at the number of posters saying it's the OPs fault for not knowing where here DS is. She would, quite reasonably, assume he was at school, unless the school had contacted her to tell her otherwise.

Huge fail on the part of the school. My DD is in 6th form, and we get a text by about 9.30am to ask why she is not at school if she misses registration, and we are expected to call in to explain her absence.

To be fair I haven't even got kids and I can work out what a massive safeguarding fail it is so I think some people must be lacking in imagination/common sense

The reality is, if this had been a very different situation and it turned out the OPs kid had been abducted on his way to school and the OP hadnt been notified they hadnt arrived those same posters would probably be ranting about the schools failures

But they dont seen to see that raising issues when the worst case senario hasnt happened is what prevents the worst case senario from happening

Which is why the OP absolutely needs to complain because the next time it might not just be a kid bunking off school

Some people on here are such aresholes. I bet none of them have teenagers. Fifteen year olds can be deceptive and hide things from their parents. How the hell they think you would know if he hadn't been at school without the school informing you I don't know. Most schools would ring on the first day, so yes, your school should have done that.

Crikey, the people berating the OP for not magically knowing her child hadn’t turned up at school are seriously embarrassing.

Yep, they probably either all have lovely cute little toddlers or are still ferrying their teenagers to the school gates every day.

This. I cannot believe the snarky replies telling the OP it's her responsibility- this is a catastrophic failure of safeguarding. (I'm a teacher.)

OP, don't be put off by the professional contrarians here: this is utterly unacceptable from the school.

I hope you and your son are OK

In my day we used to register morning & afternoon then disappear to wag school. My mum was at work so more often than not I just went home.

Even ferrying your teen to the school gate every day doesn't guarantee that they will actually go into school.
Even watching your teen walk through the school doors doesn't guarantee they will stay there.
Even if your teen does stay within the school grounds all day it doesn't guarantee they will go to any lessons.

IMy DD's school queried why she hadn't attended an individual lesson during a day that she was in school (she had, just was late and it wasn't recorded).
The school not picking this up for 3 days is pretty bad.

I remember that being a Grange Hill story line for Susan Tully's character!

Don't you get messages on n day 1 of absences?

whereas there wa a thread recently where the school sent someone round someones absent child after day 3 when they ha already phoned in sick

this school needs looking at ops son could have been anywhere

The question if the boy has left absence information - Johnny's Dad here, he's got flu and won't be in - So in schools eyes he's home with parents knowledge.

What would make the school contact mum?

What made the school contact mum after 3 days?

Not the case here as school knew he had been absent for 3 days. Schools can put measures in place to make this more difficult (eg parent PIN, requiring parent to use an app, checking text comes from parent's registered phone no, outgoing phonecall to parent if any doubt). Not foolproof but makes it more difficult for students to cheat.

School dropped the ball on this big time

What do you mean 'not the case here?'

We don't know if the boy definitely phoned in, but the chances are mum would have been contacted if he hadn't.

There is also a chance he used the landline to call in.

It's in the OP. School phoned to say he'd been absent for 3 days. They didn't phone to say they see he'd been off sick with flu for the last 3 days but where was he this morning.

I'll assume that's their standard welfare check, just the same as a school demanded to see a child who was at home for 3 days on another thread.

Most colds and bugs only leave you ill for a few days.

Attendance should have sent you a message saying he was absent and then called you if no response. Check that no one was calling in for him before going in hard but if there wasn’t then they have failed to safeguard your child and this is serious.

Yes in attendance we had to send a message and try and call day 1 and day 2 and if still no response by day 3 make a welfare check visit