Frenzied attack on teachers

[howmuchdidyousay]

Several weeks ago I started this thread about a scheme the school were introducing whweby children who had not been absent in the half term were entitled to non-uniform on the last day of the half term and those that had been absent had to wear school uniform.
Well, Thursday was the last day and several parents really lost the plot!.Yelling and jabbing their fingers at teachers in the playground and in the classroom.One young teacher was in tears and another I saw was penned into a corner by a furious parent and looked absolutely terrified.The children looked frightened and I think everyone was very shaken up.It really was horrible to witness.
Much as I think this was the most stupid, unfair,ill thought out idea I have ever come across in a school.And I well understand the parents reactrion, I am not sure that there can ever be justification for treating teachers like this.

The EWO becomes involved once attendance dips below a certain level. If the strategies put in place fail to solve the problem, the next step is court action and prosecution of the parent.

Do you really think that a parent who doesn't value their child's education enough to bring them to school regularly will be swayed by the promise of a non-uniform day for said child?

A case of punishing the child for the actions of the parent IMO.

No of course not. But there is some value in teaching children the benefits of making the effort. Most companies suffer from absenteeism amongst those who use their 'sick' leave allowance as an extension of their annual holiday leave.

And the level has to fall quite low before EWO are involved. In Reception and Year 1 it might not matter if you attend for less than 94% of the sessions, in Yr 6 and secondary it will.

This scheme was nutty in the extreme and very divisive. But I don't have a problem with rewarding good attendance in some way. In our school there is a tea party every halfterm for the most improved students in every class. Why is that less problematic than marking good attendance - in both cases not all children will get a chance.

But at primary level, children are not responsible for their own attendance; their parents are.

I think incentives which reward improvement at secondary level are effective- schemes such as this punish and reward children for something they have very little control over. Not the best way to teach a sense of responsibility IMO.

lowenergylightbulb - I don't think being CRB cleared can be considered a great acheivment....

Quattrocento - it depends if you consider 'professionl' to be 'someone whom does their job in a manner befitting a member of their occupation' or 'member of a cartel that restricts access to particular jobs, and promotes those members interests'

Actually teaching is probably a profession in both senses.