To think attendance messaging has become insane?!

[JustDiscoveredBueno]

Schools are germ pits. DfE's answer? Make them even more so...cos having more sick kids and staff (if possible) helps attendance and education!!!! Everyone knows that you learn at your best when you're ill or spreading illness.

They turned up at my house to check dd was actually ill. Had to drag her out of bed with a high fever and show them her covered in pox before they would leave. Two members of staff. Because they thought I must be lying as I'd been asking for support for her for her anxiety at school. No staff to support the struggling kids in school but two can drive 20 min to my house and take the germs back with them to share with all the other kids

They tried to insist they go in my child’s bedroom to look at him sleeping when I said I wasn’t going to wake him up to see them. 🤨

No way would I have even allowed them in to my house, never mind let them see my DD in a vulnerable state. They’d have been very quickly sent on their way and told under no uncertain circumstances not to come back

Both of these situations are outrageous!

I'd start using the word Safeguarding.

Don't know if it's because we're in Wales. But school absences for illness are accepted readily. Just phone or email detailing illness and it's fine.

Secondary may be different though.

We've had exactly the ssme experience with ds with a chronic neuro disorder. We had to very regularly contact each teacher individually to get any work at all. I sympathise with the teachers re workload etc, but it does make a mockery of the line that schools don't want them to be missing out.

I’m genuinely sitting here in awe that school staff think entering a sleeping child’s bedroom is appropriate, never mind that parents have allowed it to happen

I'm on the flip side of this, trying to send early years children home who are dead on their feet and it's "but the DfE say they can come in with eyes dripping of gunk, raging tonsillitis and a temp of 37.9".

I don’t take any notice of the bollocks from the EWO and told the idiotic welfare officer she would see me in court if she wants but my children stay home when sick. That’s it.

I can guarantee that head teachers know which children need support. Why not concentrate on them?

My youngest had 15 days off last term. It was fucking hideous. Norovirus (5 days), HFM (3 days), tonsillitis (3 days), general coldy things for which he was sent home twice (4 days). No one thought he should be in school. The term before he had 98% attendance. It’s just luck and I’ll go to court before I’m bullied into sending my child into school when they’re unwell.

I sent a photo of my kid’s vomit this week. I’m done with it. It’s ableism also if your kid has Sen needs. Total idiocy and discriminatory. If I wasn’t burnt out I’d take DoE to court.

I feel so bad for you guys - I tend to err on the side of optimism if my son (Y1) is a bit off colour and send him in but he’s non verbal so I can sometimes get it wrong.

I always say ‘he was a bit grumpy - call if you think he needs to be home’ and I head straight to collect him.

But never with a fever or any obvious symptoms.

Believe me, the staff don't like it either! There was more than one adult off per 2 classes at my school last week. No money for supply, the ones still standing all over worked and dreading being ill over the holidays, it always comes when you let yourself rest.

You have to reply with proof, no?

I honestly don’t care about the families who can’t be arsed. It’s their fault the rest of us are being harassed. And that’s what it is, harassment.

Mine always used to get sick over school holidays especially winter ones. I'm sure it's the body just saying enough!!

It's like the immune system relaxes as soon as you do, and let's in everything it's been fighting.

Those fucking radio ads do my head in. The parents who care enough to take any notice of ads like that ARE ALREADY SENDING THEIR KIDS IN when they can (ie not when they are actually ill) because they care about education. The rest don't give a shit about attendance and a patronising radio ad is more likely to make them keep kids off out of spite!

They said I was being unreasonable for not letting them go into my child’s bedtime whilst he slept and said they had never had a parent refuse before. I find that hard to believe. Plus he was 16 at the time, it really wasn’t appropriate for me to let them.

I do not believe either of those statements for one second.

Seriously. Its almost, but not, unbelievable

I agree! Mine is 7 and off this week with a perforated ear drum

How long do they need to be off for that? Once its burst the pain goes & generally they are fine you just send the medicine to school?

Our school won't handle medication

DS2’s secondary school are currently in a massive huff with me. Their policy is that you have to phone every day that a child is off. DS had an operation, planned for a long while, which required 7-10 days in hospital and then 2-3 weeks recovery at home. I said I would email after the surgery, when he was home from hospital and weekly thereafter to let them know when he’d likely be returning.

Apparently this is unacceptable and I should be ringing every single day, which always involves at least 10/15 minutes being told what number I am in the queue, to update them. not a chance.

Apparently they may have to send me a letter…

The thing is that with the changes this Ht has made they have actually become (imo - I worked in schools for nigh on 20 years) really poor when it comes to safeguarding as they are only focussed on attendance. My Dd will be starting a different high school after the summer as I, like many parents locally, don’t want to be dealing with this one any more

They've admitted post COVID that 12 thousand school children have never returned to school across all ages.