Meet the Other Phone. Only the apps you allow.

Meet the Other Phone.
Only the apps you allow.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

School lateness due to buses

31 replies

Mol1628 · 07/10/2024 19:32

My son was late to school this morning. He’s in Y7. He gets a public bus as there is no school bus and it’s too far to walk.
Buses are frequent but he always gets the one a few buses earlier so he’s in school in time for breakfast club. He’s had perfect attendance so far.
Today no buses turned up. He was at the bus stop for 30 minutes. A bus finally did show up and he managed to get to school just 5 minutes late with about 20 other students who also use the same bus route.
Thankfully he wasn’t given a detention (as is standard for lates that are your own fault) but they’ve knocked 2% off his attendance score so now sitting at 98%.
They get ‘points’ at the end of the week for 100% attendance which they can spend in the school shop.
So through no fault of his own he won’t be getting his reward.

AIBU to call the school tomorrow and complain? I don’t see how this is helpful to a student when it clearly wasn’t his fault. There was nothing he could have done to get to school on time. He already leaves earlier than he needs to and gets the earlier bus.

OP posts:
BeeCucumber · 07/10/2024 21:26

This happened to my nephew. He became a school refuser after that - he argued that if he couldn’t maintain his 100% attendance record if the bus was a few minutes late, there was no point in trying.

ahemfem · 07/10/2024 21:28

He was late so he doesn't have full attendance. That's it.

cansu · 07/10/2024 21:28

The school have just recorded the fact that he ws late. He hasn't been sanctioned so what is the issue?

whatkatydid2014 · 07/10/2024 21:39

The issue isn’t he has lost his points really. The issue is that the system exists in the first place. Some schools track/report attendance as they are required to but don’t give awards. It is pretty awful that some kids who are already chronically ill or living in chaotic homes are being excluded from a fun activity at school pretty much all the time because of something they have no more control over than buses/trains turning up as expected.

DazedAndConfused321 · 07/10/2024 21:40

Anyone who gives a shit or strives for 100% attendance needs their head wobbled.

Starlightstarbright3 · 07/10/2024 21:42

Attendance awards of any kind are shit ..

that covers it I think

New posts on this thread. Refresh page