To think the Ofsted inspector who blames WFH parents for low attendance is probably just resentful?

[JandamiHash]

The Chief Inspector of Ofsted is blaming parents who WFH for the demise of school attendance https://www.itv.com/news/2025-02-16/parents-working-from-home-makes-children-feel-school-is-optional-ofsted-head?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR0ULgukQnTsabNTlcJRBI4kVQsMYkhCPK_KA4lUAgVkxOocYfo3onmRNHU_aem_nuBknA_QEGgfA93CaTPagg. Apparently none of us want to take our slippers off so we let our kids stay at home while we work.

He makes some REALLY weird points like his overworked dad he didn’t see much as his inspiration to go to school. And also MPs making sure they spend weekends with their families is a bad work ethic.

I know MN is a good example of whenever WFH threads are brought up, non-WFHers come on dripping with resentment over WFH and implying WFHers don’t really work. AIBU to think this man - who has somehow been knighted - is basically doing that? I’m not sure how much inspecting he does now, but Ofsted inspectors aren’t any superior or harder working just because they spend a few days working away from home at a time (something BTW I’m expected to do, at least 1 overnight a month).

Also as someone from a household where 2 of us WFH, I can’t think of anything worse than having kids flapping around us while we try and work. I’m FT, and this week I’m off Weds-Fri, as is DH. my DD11 will be at home tomorrow with strict instructions to keep away unless there’s a serious emergency (she’s secondary and old enough to take care of herself) and at a friend’s on Tuesday. My DS is 8 and is going into a holiday club tomorrow and Tuesday as his neediness is unbearable. Both have somewhere between 97 and 99% attendance so far this academic year.

YABU - “He’s got a point”
YANBU - “He’s wrong/resentful”

IKR!

Also DH never gets up and leaves the house, because he does pick up. It would be pointless (and annoying) if he were to get up and leave with us just to make a point.

We all know how MN feels about both parents doing the school run together!

At this point they’re doing everything they can to avoid the big issue of thousands of children over stressed and anxious because school is now a damaging place for them.

The issue with attendance isn’t a big problem because a child has an odd holiday or the odd duvet day, it’s because so many are traumatised by school that they can’t go in.

There is so much could be done to address this, but no, let’s carry on blaming parents instead of looking to the root of the problem and fixing it.

I can't have skin in the game if I'm not a parent! Ha ha!

Coming on strong? You mean that I am disagreeing with you and you do not like it and keep deflecting because you can't answer my questions?

Happy Sunday!

Do people really say their child is sick when they’re on holiday? Our school requires a daily phone call! My friend lied to her school and said her kids were ill when they were all in Florida. Which she swiftly regretted when they rang her on day 2 at 4am her time and they noticed an international dial tone followed by a very sleep woman answering the phone 😂

How does MN feel? I missed that thread. Is it considered weird?

I have to say on the rare occasions we do the school run together one of us (me) usually stays in the car.

There are a surprising number of posters who can't understand why anyone would do it. Seems to piss off a significant minority.

I don’t like it? Whose making assumptions now… 👀👀

Why are parents dosing their children with Calpol in order for them to go to school? Especially primary school children. Sickness can escalate very quickly and can result in death.

As an invigilator myself and another had to deal with an extremely sick pupil. He was taken from the school by ambulance and spent two weeks in hospital recovering from the flu. Thankfully it was during mock GCSE exams and his parents, who were not working from home, had told him not to go in.

Clearly clueless OP. When I work from home I find I need to shut myself away. I certainly would rather my children be at school and not mithering

because on the flip side, how quick are schools with fines etc for missed days ? (not saying its right)

But there is no point in answering your questions as they are nonsensical. OP said she did not think kids of teachers will have poor attendance. You then said that meant she assumed kids of teachers don't have mental health issues. OP never said that, you are putting words in her mouth then expecting her to justify something she never said.

She then commented that you were taking this very personally and you said she was wrong to assume you were a parent. OP never said you were a parent.

She is not deflecting, you are arguing with yourself at this point. There is literally no point in engaging with you

Fines aren’t issued for authorised absences though?

I think I’ve been super lucky with the schools my DC are at. I work with the primary on DS’s medical needs and whilst I know his attendance dipped below 95% last academic year due to hospital stays and spells of pain, I never got a letter about it. And DD had her first sickness absence of secondary (she’s in year 7) when she knocked her front tooth out and needed surgery to put a false one in. They were very much “Oh god poor DD send our love and take as long as she needs”. She actually only needed a couple of days. I hear horror stories of schools going batshit over a couple of days absence all the time though.

Sorry I didn’t realise I was involved in this - I don’t think I said anything about kids of teachers either way??

Sorry it wasn't you. I meant to put PP but automatically did autocorrect.

Haha I was like OMG what have I done now 😂

If you don't WFH there isn't the option to have your DC with you. So you have to take a day off.
WFH parents seem to attempt to carry on WFH with a child who is poorly, and doesn't have to take leave (be that annual leave, lieu, unpaid etc).
Seen it in my workplace. And I'm an absolute nightmare if you try to tell me you need to 'WFH tomorrow as no childcare' no.. you need to book the day off.

If the point here is WFH enables parents more flexibility so they therefore are more inclined to keep a child at home, then there is a point to the article.

Well you're doing everything you can to avoid it! If you liked it you would answer but you keep on deflecting.

The second sentence doesn't follow the first. People often have family locally, or a part time parent who's not in that day, or a SAHP. They might work outside the home, but do shifts. As a pp pointed out, this assumption is underpinned by the idea that work is always Monday to Friday, 9 to 5.

I don't know one person who works from home who doesn't use it to reduce the amount that's childcare they need. Literally anyone would do the same.

a huge proportion of the listed workforce are homebased workers and have been for years before the pandemic

really strange sentiment

He is an idiot.

1. a lot of children had/have a stay at home parent. so? Is that encouraging truancy!?
2. Its actually very stressful to work with a child to take care

😅, so true. Whilst in bed, updating MN about their very important jobs at every opportunity.

I don’t think so. It really means very little to them now. In fact the ‘children’ who feel they were impacted are now at university. I would move on from focusing on the impact of Covid and perceived issues with parents working from home and have a good, hard look on the impact of technology on children. It is affecting concentration, behaviour, energy and even levels of anxiety. All of these lead to children underperforming in schools and maybe even a rise in absence (in my opinion).

But ‘Cos Covid’ really doesn’t cut it now. It’s a poor excuse. Will we have adults refusing to work because they couldn’t go to school for a term and a half when they were in Year 2? The country’s finances won’t stand for it, hence the hardening of attitudes.