DS (7) brought home a letter from school yesterday "....DS's attendance has fallen to 89.62% for the academic year to date." "Blah, blah, blah.....I have been monitoring DS's attendance since the beginning of the academic year and it has continued to fall, month on month. As a result we will not be able to authorise any future absence without evidence of a medical appointment"! Signed by the headteacher.
I'm not angry - I'm fucking apoplectic!!! How bloody dare they!!! The headteacher knows me and knows I'm not a 'push-over' Mum! I've dragged DS in there lots of times (in tears) and had three way conversations with her and DS about how important it is to go to school and not say there's things wrong with him when there isn't! (He had a difficult time after the split from his Dad). I have three very strict criteria for keeping them home - either/and/or high temperature (have a very accurate 'in the ear' digital thingy), puking or the squits - and - unfortunately for me, I require evidence of the last two, not just their word for it (mostly due to DD's (12) fantastical claims of vomiting to get off school! See, I ain't falling for that ol' chestnut!). So, single Mum of three is going to have to trawl down to the Dr's for every raised temperature or dose of the runs??!! The Dr is going to be well chuffed with me, too!! I can't believe it, really. What makes my blood boil is that so many parents take their children out of school for holidays (not judging this action, btw, but have never done it myself) and seem to get away without any punishment at all - even members of the school staff do it ffs!!
I fully understand the implications on DS’s education brought about by reduced attendance. However, on each and every occurrence DS has been genuinely ill and therefore his capacity for learning is greatly diminished anyway – not to mention the fact that he would be passing on whatever illness he has to his classmates. On these occasions, had I sent him to school, the onus would have then been on the school to have to send him home again – as he was ill!! Oh, and, whilst I'm at it - how much crap will I get from them if I send him to school less than 48hrs after a bout of S or D!?!?!
I've had a long and successful relationship with this school (and headmistress) over the past 8+ years. Both my older children have been through the school without any attendance issues. I'm at the school every day, twice a day. Why did she not think to talk to me about this instead, and maybe try avoid this awful, punishing rule? I have had the basic 'Mum' decision of whether my child is too ill for school or not taken away! And, yes, I understand, too, that the 'flag' for this will have come from some sort of computer print-out and that it will be government guidelines to follow it up but - where does common sense come in? Where has the personal touch gone? Why is it not possible to take past knowledge of the family into consideration? Grrrrrrr!
DS is, on the whole, of good health. I have taken him to the Dr's in the past and he has been pronounced hale and hearty. He just seems to catch whatever is going round his school and his sibling's school. Just life, really.
I'm in the process of writing a letter of complaint about this. Calm, to the point and concise. (It's taking ages just to take the expletives out!)
This has all made me feel like a really bad parent and the next time they put a request out for friggin' cakes or donations.........!
Venting finished, rant over. Sorry. Ta.