To think the school are breaking their own policy...

[SoBloodyAwkward]

Because they put the 2 days my dc was off as unauthorised without telling me.

My dc has 92% attendance, below 90.1 is in in the red, above that is in the yellow, above 96 is in the green. My dc is yellow. We have been plaqued with illness, a bereavement etc this school year, the school are well aware, and we have explained in detail in writing the reasons to the attendance officer who was fine at the time, and didn't give a letter. All dc's previous attendances have been authorised, and for things that she couldn't come into school with, required doctors visits, things like chicken pox etc. I don't keep her off for minor colds, and things she could come in with. We always ring in, explain, and make medical apps outside of school hours where possible, don't take holidays in school time etc. Minusing off the bereavement, and the minor reasons the school themselves sent her home, the attendance percentage would go up a little too. Without those, the attendance certainly isn't irratic, or anything either.

Last weekend dd got really unwell with a fever, wasn't eating, Monday morning raging sore throat, white in back, headache and chills. I rang school as soon as the lines opened to inform, took her to the GP, who gave antibiotics. I checked the app, and saw that the school had put her down as unauthorised. I rang up to ask why they had done this. The woman said "how do you know it is unauthorised", I said I have seen it on the app." She transferred me through to somebody else who said they gad told the attendance officer it was strep, has she been off before, I said yes, but not unauthorised, she said they would change it. They didn't, and proceeded to put her down as unauthorised on Tuesday too.

I sent them a lengthy email with pictures of the antibiotics gp label, explaining it all, contagious until 24 hours after antibiotics started, etc. They finally changed both days to authorised, I took the medicine down to the main office as they are administrating to dd every lunch time.

I sent a complaint through querying their policy, asking why they hadn't informed me it was put down as unauthorised, why they hadn't given me the opportunity to supply the evidence they clearly required. I also queried why this was suddenly happening on the final week, when dd had been in all term, and 100% attendance certificate received for this. They have never marked her as this before. All they said was "we sent you a 2nd letter saying all future absences would be unauthorised." I told them i havent received tbis mysterious letter, and can they send it through to me, they have failed to provide it. How can they do this, when they haven't asked for evidence? Her attendance isn't even in the red! She is 7yrs old, and in year 2.

Surely this cannot be right? Have they penalised us because of the football on Sunday, and it being the last week?

You’re way overthinking this. Her attendance is fine, nothing is going to happen regardless of whether the days are recorded as authorised or not. Sounds like an error. There was no need to jump down their throats about it immediately.

I didn't, I rang up politely, they were abrupt on the phone and told me a 2nd letter had been sent saying any more would be unauthorised. No mistakes made apparently.

Afew months ago, they rang 3 weeks after my dm died asking if everything was okay, told me they knew her grandma died, 'but' her attendance was irratic. It wasnt, i pointed out the time that made it look that way, were the occasions they themselves had sent her home.

Having unauthorised absences isn’t really a big deal. It sounds serious but there’s no repercussions really so just let it go.

This. It doesn't matter.

I definitely think you're overthinking this.

Who really cares if it goes down as unauthorised? You're the child's parent. It's up to you to make the decision if she's too unwell for school and if she is, you keep her off.

I wouldn't have even bothered sending any follow up emails with all the "evidence"

What difference does it make? It's a standard automated letter that no one takes any notice of. I would invest the time you spend writing letters elsewhere.

We've got this too, some absences marked as unauthorised. I was wondering whether I need to contact the school and clarify, or whether it doesn't matter. Just don't want it to come back to bite me if my DC attendance drops below an arbitrary level. Conversely if it doesn't matter then I won't create extra work for me or the school.

Interesting that responses here have said it doesn't matter - is that correct? We've had recent correspondence from the local authority (via the school) that they are going to crack down more on term-time absences (all absences not just holidays).

Thanks for your replies, I think the school have been irritating me for with the way they go on, making it up as they go along. They go on about it in parents evenings, and with fining coming in soon, I don't want unauthorised absences when they shouldn't be. Luckily I found out on the app, and provided the evidence for them to change it, other parents may not even be aware they've done it, which could affect them if they've had previous history.

Yes thank you, that's exactly why I was worried. I think personally it does matter, they're going to start fining. They can't just pick and choose, and not tell parents. If they're in doubt they're meant to ask for evidence before they do it. My school just clearly make it up as they go along, they're not open to feedback, I know secondary schools who aren't as awkward as this. I don't think they're something to be ignored, as it can come back to bite later. The school should be following their procedures correctly.

My DD's school actually altered her absences to unauthorised without telling me. And as they did it retrospectively I had no option to provide the evidence that they hadn't asked for at the time!

Oh that's terrible! Do you have an attendance app? I'm lucky I checked that in time. They need reported, it cannot be policy to do that. When all of the parents start being fined next year, it's going to cause an uproar.
The amount of dcs going in spreading serious illnesses around through fear of being off is dreadful. There has been everything under the sun in my dc's school, the whole place needs a deep clean.

It matters because OPs dd is off with another illness and if it's recorded as unauthorised it could initiate a fine (I know, extremely unlikely given it's so close to the end of term, but schools, particularly primary schools have become very heavy handed with absenteeism), it's also important the school record the absence accurately because it builds a picture for the welfare / attendance officer and the LEA who monitor schools. Not the case here but in some cases where disability is cause for absence, putting unauthorised is potentially discrimination. It's good practice for school to report appropriately.
It's also very difficult (and time consuming) to fight a fine once it's issued, so it really is important that the register is kept accurately. If the school are only allowing an authorised absence for a limited number illnesses, they need to make that clear.
Once OP raised the issue it should have been corrected. It doesn't sound like op was being rude or aggressive in the first instance, but unsurprisingly was becoming frustrated when the school weren't correcting their error. That's time wasted for OP, and unnecessary.
I know schools are between a rock and a hard place with absenteeism, I'm not digging at them, but I can also understand why OP is feeling a bit miffed.

Put into context, 92% attendance is a day off every 3 weeks, it's quite a lot unless she has a specific medical/disability.

I was actually in a meeting when a mum defended her dd saying she had 90% attendance, that's great, but that's 1 day off a fortnight!

Yes it does matter going forward for next year and I suspect past years would
be looked at. The rules are becoming quite strict regarding absences and this isn’t the first time I have seen this happen.
it is ridiculous though as evidence just needs to be proof of a doctors appt or a prescription and in this case it should always be authorsied

The school themselves were responsible for afew. There was a 3 day absence for my dm dying, serious illnesses like chicken pox where you require more than a day off. The occasions I kept her off weren't many, if you minus off the schools. They didn't need to send her home for the minor things they did.

There has been whooping cough, chicken pox, measles, scarlet fever, slapped cheek, strep, hand foot and mouth going around, because kids are going in spreading it, or have immunity of steal. It must be nice to be rewarded for being healthy and abled. I don't agree with attendance awards either, it is discriminatory to those that could never get that through no fault of their own. It is archaic, and I think it needs reformed.

Steel*

No, you aren't overthinking this.

People here can argue until they're blue in the face that it's not a big deal, or that it's "standard" but the bottom line is this: You can be fined and/or given a criminal record for a certain % of unauthorised absences.

Anyone who tells you not to worry has never dealt with a heavy-handed school/local authority.

@SoBloodyAwkward

you've done the right thing getting this sorted.

attendance officers etc can be a nightmare, sadly lacking in common sense.

if the school send them home they need to use a different code.

3 days after your Mum died is a tiny amount. (I'm sorry about you Mum 💐)

honestly, school administration🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️🙇🏻‍♀️

I'm fascinated that they say they wrote to you saying all future absences would be unauthorised, irrespective of the circumstances, because if they meant that then they were expressing an intention to break the law. The simple fact is that if an absence comes within the criteria for being authorised then that is what it has to be marked as, irrespective of what has happened in the past. Are they seriously contending that if, for instance, your daughter was lying unconscious in hospital they would still mark the absence as unauthorised?

Thank you @scattery Dd is ND, and she has came home crying, because she is yellow on attendance and not green. They have a huge chart pinned up in the classroom with all of the dc's names on. They're 7 years old, how is it their fault. She was burning up, lying in bed, couldn't move and saying she had to go to school.

When she had a hacking cough, the headteacher told her off infront of everybody in assembly for "faking it", it turned out to be whooping cough, and a bad inner ear infection. In her report the class teacher wrote that dd is the most polite child she has ever taught, she isn't a trouble maker. There is a balance, and I think they're too much the other way.

@FineFettler yes, exactly! It is craziness. They said "has she been off before?" I said yes, but not unauthorised." It was sarcastically said "oh was it strep was it." I got the sense that they just didnt believe me. They said they would change it, and didn't, proceeded to mark the 2nd day as unauthorised. It was at this point I sent the email with the evidence attached. They then told me after being challenged that a 2nd letter had been sent saying that all future absences would be unauthorised without evidence. I didn't receive this letter, and they didn't ask for any evidence. The whole thing was like they were making it up as they went along. If I had not checked the app, or provided evidence it would be left unauthorised, as I wouldn't even know.

You're massively overthinking and worrying way too much about what 'the school' think.

I'm sorry that school messed up and caused you this unnecessary worry and stress but -in the kindest way possible - step back and pick your battles. This is such a minor thing to give headspace to. Your child was very poorly and kept off school quite correctly. Nothing else matters. I was a school governor and my DS had awful attendance 80 something % because he caught everything going when he was little. I brazened it out in the end because if he was ill, he was ill.

Hi, it isn't the issue no, it is like some other posters have said up-thread about the fines, and future implications.

Oh hell, I'm sorry you've landed up in one of those awful strict schools. I have two ND teens myself and wound up moving them from a "rules is rules" school to a more relaxed school (both state, not private). Major difference in their mental health. Former school demanded we send our kids in when they had pinkeye otherwise they wouldn't authorise the absence. Next school trusted us to make our own decision about how their health without hassling us every two seconds for "proof."

You may have to study up on your rights and the law - https://childlawadvice.org.uk/information-pages/school-attendance-and-absence/ is a pretty good source.

Once again the bottom line is that schools can fine you for a certain % of unauthorised absences, and the posters here saying this is a minor issue have clearly not dealt with fine-happy local authorites/HTs.