To think that school's attendance targets are contributing to an increase in infections

[Tatami]

Students at my DC's school are coming in when they are unwell to avoid falling below a 95% attendance record. The are coughing and sneezing over everyone else. The school is encouraging them to come in to keep up attendance. We're recovering from a horrible flu type bug that my DD brought home from school and the whole family is suffering. AIBU to want sick students to STAY AWAY until they feel better?

You are not unreasonable. Ofsted attendance targets are unreasonable. My school recently sent out a letter suggesting that headache and stomach ache are not good reasons to be absent.
Just awful, how is a child feeling that way supposed to learn? They care about butts on seats more than the actual learning.
A common cold is one thing, if the child is feeling well enough to pay attention and learn.
But stomach ache can lead to vomiting and then they’re off for 48 hours but if you’ve vomited on your desk you’ve probably already passed the bug on to your friends.
Many parents will disagree because they’d rather send their sick kid to school than take time off work to have them stay home.

I'm listening to my DD coughing through her sleep and yet tomorrow I'm expected to bring her in. I feel I'm an awful mother either way.

The attendance whilst maximising spread of illness is one of the most illogical, harmful and immoral policies for those who attend schools, their families and education. There are some horrific consequences to this policy. It places the child, the staff and education at the very bottom of the list.

@NinNinJin that's an awful dilemma. I really feel for you. In a sensible world you wouldn't feel pressured either way, but would make the best decision for her.

With attendance, I understand the decision to not allow term-time holidays (though I don't agree) and I will keep to this. I also understand the need to crack down on persistent truants. But to insist that sick kids come to school and so spread germs is madness. We will all suffer because of it.

And don't get me started on those 100% attendance award certificates. Pointless, political nonsense. They are the one certificate that doesn't get pride of place on the kitchen cabinet.

This isn’t new though. They are just re-clamping down after easing off during the pandemic. I always ignore the school on attendance and keep my DC home when they are unwell either physically or due to stress. Civil disobedience to crackers policies like this is our only means of direct action. I was threatened with court once and called their bluff because you cannot be fined for persistent absence if it is due to illness. No court will uphold it. And it is my right as a parent to determine when my child is too ill to go into school.

And if a school really needs that attendance measure to pass the Ofsted inspection, then they are a failing school and should be rated as one.

Yanbu. I got covid as soon as my child (year 2) went back to school in September and then got a generic email sent out about the importance of attendance. Felt like replying saying school is the reason we get 100 illnesses every autumn.

We received a long letter about attendance policies recently (the 4th so far since the school year started) and this one says:

"We can often feel worse in the morning and if your child is feeling unwell but can come into school, please make sure that they do. Please use EduLink to inform us if this is the case and we can monitor them throughout the day; we will always contact you if your child is too unwell to continue at school. We find
that this approach often reduces the amount of time lost to avoidable absence."

So basically send them in unless they can barely stand and we'll decide if they're well enough to stay!! That's definitely going to increase infections surely - counter productive really.

YANBU. It's grossly unfair on anyone vulnerable in school, who may end up seriously ill as a result. And as a PP said, children learn best when they are comfortable, not trying to work while they feel terrible. If a school focuses on attendance rates too much, it's exactly because they are failing in other (more important) areas but can't improve there.

I know schools expect it but from the parents I know we make decisions based on our children’s wellbeing. If my DC aren’t well enough that’s my decision, not the schools.

@TrailingLoellia I know it isn't new but I didn't fully appreciate the insanity of the policy till having been through the pandemic and the 'stay home to save lives' mantra.

I have been keeping my DC off when they're sick now and mostly ignored the standard, slightly bullying, letters from the school. I just wish other parents of sick kids felt empowered to do the same!

My DDs school says similar but the reality has been that when poorly, she goes to the office and then the nurse says oh rest here for an hour see how you feel and then badgers her to go back to class. They lie and say they’ve called me. Then when lunch rolls around they send them to lunch, and then tell them oh it’s too late, we can’t get ahold of your mum so you might as well finish out the day.

I let this happen three times thinking perhaps there was a miscommunication as the school never did contact me and I would go and pick up an ill and miserable child who was upset I’d broken my promise of ‘you can come home if you feel worse- the school will call and I will come get you’. She couldn’t call me because they turn in their phones to the school office and they are locked up until the end of the day and the school wouldn’t let her when she asked. I called the office twice to ask why didn’t someone call me.

Once she was vomiting in a rubbish bin in the nurses office and they still did not call me.

So after the 3rd time this happened, I decided that I couldn’t risk her feeling better once she got going any more because at least for my state comprehensive, they did everything in their power to not call me when my DD was poorly. So now I just keep her home from the start.

Our school did the attendance push last year. Every week a message was sent out to show the attendance levels of each class in the school. Hardly any reached target. They would give reasons such as x illness has affected year 3, y illness has affected year 4. You could see the illnesses flowing through the school. They stopped sending it out after about a month. They could have paid for air filters easily with the money spent on supply teachers.

Still, it's good for their immune systems (except I can't find any research that says it's better for immune systems to catch all these viruses, than not).

Kept DS off all the time he tested positive for Covid.

He brought it home from school we think. School rule is to come in even if + if you have no temp. I'm still of work now (week 3) as have underlying condition which is kicked in by covid.

As someone who was off sick with Covid (almost long covid) for 3 months last time we got it (coming home on school bus - kids coughing all over) I feel quite frustrated with this attitude.

I can also remember being sent to school when unwell as a teen and I really struggled to learn anything on those days.

I think it's crackers. Surely ill kids at school then = ill teachers, and more ill children in the long run - which is in no ones interest.

@TrailingLoellia that's awful.

We’ve been told as long as not D&V they are to be in. I feel like they are opening themselves up to problems though.
Our kids have had the flu type thing going around (maybe covid).
I emailed to say that I’d taken the youngest in (as per their rules) but they must keep a close eye and give him inhaler/send him home if needed.

Also, told to bring calpol in if they are that bad..

I think the pandemic has really helped a lot of people realise that school attendance rules are overly draconian and actually worsen the health of children which then causes attendance to never get better. You see similar grumblings about employer sickness policies too nowadays as well.

My older one is 18 now, my youngest is 9. The sixth form my 18yr old went to was really relaxed on attendance, they were the ones who said to me they don’t need attendance to get an outstanding from Oftsted. They were a great place really put the well-being of their students first and foremost. I hope my younger ones go there too.

AIBU to want sick students to STAY AWAY until they feel better?

of course, YANBU, but the attendance targets won't really make a difference.

For little kids especially, parents lie and send them to school because they use it as free childcare. Schools specifically ask to keep someone who has been sick for at least 48h, it never stops too many parents to send kids who have been sick in the night or early morning.

The only time parents keep their kids at home because they "are sick" is when they take them away on holiday and lie.

There should be a code for sickness absence, but without a medical letter confirming illness as opposed to holidays, that would be abused.

I was in a conversation yesterday where the school had told a parent that their child with covid should be in school. The child was really poorly, but apparently covid isn’t a valid reason to be off anymore. WTF. I’m not sure what the official line is on covid anymore, but if a child is I’ll, they shouldn’t be school! Regardless of what the illness is.

@TrailingLoellia that's awful!

DD1 has just started reception and I've no intention of following the more absurd attendance rules. For context, she hardly ever had any time off nursery at all (one time in the last year and that was chicken pox, and then I think one instance of D&V) so I don't keep her home easily. But if I decide she's too ill, it's my (and DH's) decision not the school's.
They also want a Dr's note which is laughable. I'm not wasting the Dr's time with a run of the mill virus (D&V etc). They quite rightly wouldn't give an appointment for that!

Always been the case where schools offer awards for 100% attendance, even before OFSTED came on board.
Kids who get the 100% award often should not have been in school and pass those festering germs onto others who then take time off.
Certain things you don't NEED to be off for BUT school is a noisy, hectic environment at times and a bloody awful place to be if you do not feel well (Im an ex primary teacher).
Schools HAVE to be seen to raise attendance but as a parent and foster carer if our kids aren't 100% I'll judge if they should/shouldn't be in school. I'm not bothered about your targets!!
(BTW we would definitely do term time holidays if we could! Unfortunately DH works in a primary school).

Ds was v unwell second week back. He had to be collected from school and then missed another 4 days. I had to scan and send in prof of his medication and hospital admission. I know it’s because his attendance was shot from only being back a week, then off.
I currently have covid and have locked myself away as I really don’t want Ds to catch it and be off again, resulting in another bollocking.

Also if attendance falls below 'expected/accepted' the letters that come out are automatically generated and schools have very little say about them (if any).
Our primary head used to let me know one was on the way (for fc) with 'just ignore it, we know why. There's no issue'

Gov't guideline is to isolate for 10 days if possible.

School rules are quite a different kettle of fish. Go in if you don't have a temperature basically. I think that is just reckless. Who knows what children are vulnerable - or family members? Plus time off work for parents/teachers if they get it. Defies logic. School are a vector for infectious diseases of every shade.

There is no consistency so we have to use common sense, in order for illness not to be passed round the whole school (and families/community).

To me, that means staying away from people until you are no longer infectious/testing positive (though lat flows are not great at picking up the first few day or last few days of infection).

If my child has a high temperature and is poorly, I don't care if it's Covid or not, he's staying home.

Most people don't seem to test for Covid anyway, no one knows if it's Covid or not.