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Original poster

School did not know student's whereabouts - opinions please?

23 replies

Loobiloo500 · 28/10/2016 11:08

Hi :) Looking for thoughts on the following:

If your child was in 6th form and school sent a text to say they had missed registration, how would you react, knowing for certain they were in school?

This happened recently...my daughter's class sat in their timetabled classroom but no teacher arrived. School sent out texts to all parents. Thirty minutes later (during which time I spoke to my daughter by phone) school sent another text to say students were confirmed present but marked as late. School followed this up with a phone call.

It's my understanding that for a full 40 minutes the students were 'missing in action'... and it was over an hour before school called to confirm everything was ok.

Given that these are 6th formers (therefore more independent), how would you feel about it? I spoke to school but the late mark stands, although school admitted there was some confusion (teacher shortage) and said that the initial texts were wrongly sent out :-/.

Thanks!

OP posts:

Sirzy · 28/10/2016 11:10

With over 16 year olds I wouldn't be worried at all. In this case I would just put it down as a mistake as it was.

TBH I am amazed schools text to say 6th formers are off!

Original poster

Loobiloo500 · 28/10/2016 11:13

Sirzy, I didn't know whether to be alarmed or not when the text arrived... we've never had one before!

My concern is less about the late mark etc, more about the example set to the students. It seems to me that the school messed up but are blaming the class instead.

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AgentProvocateur · 28/10/2016 11:18

When my DC were in sixth year, I ignored stuff like this. I reckoned if they were old enough to get married, they were old enough to sort situations out at school.

Celticlassie · 28/10/2016 11:20

It's very unfair that they were marked late! The 1st text was presumably automatic when they weren't marked present, but a late mark (assuming it has consequences) is unfair.

KateLivesInEngland · 28/10/2016 11:20

With the title I expected this to be about a primary aged child!
High school and six form would not alarm me at all. Presumably the pupil finds their own way and can be trusted? Therefore I wouldn't be 'alarmed' as such. If they had bunked off ... pissed off, yes - worried, no.
But in this case she was in a classroom the whole time and it was just a clerical error? Non starter for me, I think?

LynetteScavo · 28/10/2016 11:21

I'd presume they have an automatic system.

I think they now need to make student aware that if they haven't been registered by a certain time they need to inform the office as potentially it could be serious if there were a fire.

Most school start texting Y7s first...we didn't get a phone call re DS until 1pm once...DH was furious and pointed out his done had been missing for 6 hours. The school pointed out they did not have to phone/text us.

Sixth formers aren't babies, and you were aware she was fine. I don't think there is much of an issue.

Ginmakesitallok · 28/10/2016 11:24

Mistakes happen. I'd rather receive a text saying they weren't there when they were than them not knowing the student wasn't there. The students weren't missing - the system made a mistake. I had this with dd1 once - got a text to say she wasn't in, when I knew she was there. Teacher taking register had made a mistake. The's things happen.

thatdearoctopus · 28/10/2016 11:29

I had this once when ds had gone straight to a music lesson without registering first. He was marked late.
I suppose I could have asked for that to be amended but wasn't an issue. He was 6th form.

Crispsheets · 28/10/2016 11:30

I hate getting a text to say ds is late or hasn't registered. He's 17. I don't care if he's late. It's his issue not mine.

Original poster

Loobiloo500 · 28/10/2016 11:32

Thanks everyone! Sorry if the title was misleading - she's a responsible girl, young end of the year so not long 16. But I wasn't worried about her. The point is that the school didn't know where they were... made a big fuss... and marked them as late! I do think the school should admit (to the students) that they made a mistake.

But I'm not going to worry about it... unless it happens again of course!

OP posts:

12purpleapples · 28/10/2016 11:32

This happens from time to time with these systems. I wouldn't see it as the pupils being missing in action or the school not knowing where they were.

charliethebear · 28/10/2016 11:39

The school should admit there mistake and just remove the late mark, its a bit ridiculous not too, although in the big scheme of things it doesn't really matter.
I don't think its a big deal that they don't know where 6th formers were however if they don't know they're in the building then surely that presents a fire risk? I wouldn't be worried though if I got that text, as id just assume they'd missed registration and at 16 could sort it out themselves.

InTheDessert · 28/10/2016 11:42

Well, when it was my 6 year old, as soon as the text was received, I rang them. Told them he was taken to school, and they were to find him.
They rang back 30 mins later to say he was in class, and the message was a test. I went apeshit at them, and left it blatantly clear is was an awful message to send the parent if a child new to the school. We changed school 6 weeks later when a place at a school with a better reputation was available.

Original poster

Loobiloo500 · 28/10/2016 11:44

charliethebear, I wondered if it comes under 'duty of care' by the school regardless of age, that they should know whether the students are on the premises or not? As you say, it could be a fire risk?

Daughter's taken in her stride of course, although she's irritated by the late mark.

Half term next week! :D

OP posts:

Original poster

Loobiloo500 · 28/10/2016 11:46

InTheDessert, I'd have been lived too, if this had happened at primary school. What a terrible thing to do to any parent of a young child. I worked in a primary school office and situations like this were priorities... we never unduly worried a parent, but never left it long to inform them either.

OP posts:

hesterton · 28/10/2016 11:51

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

That1950sMum · 28/10/2016 11:57

I think its quite good that the school have shown the class that they need to take some responsibility. If a whole class just waited for a teacher without sending anyone to the office to let someone know they hadn't been registered, then maybe they need a bit of a wake up call. I think the school acted very responsibly and would be pleased if it was my children's school.

Original poster

Loobiloo500 · 28/10/2016 12:09

That1950sMum, but the class DID send a small number of students to the office. The students acted responsibly in my opinion. Generally I support the school's actions but perhaps they misjudged it this time?

Hesterton, I like the idea of students being revolutionary! I wish my daughter had more of that spirit! She knows her own mind but tends to be on the reserved side... so I'm leaving her to tackle the late mark herself ;-)

OP posts:

Aderyn2016 · 28/10/2016 12:19

I would challenge the late mark - it is the school's fault, not your dd's. I also disahree that the students are responsible for notifying the office that their teacher hadn't shown up. That's not their job. Teachers are professionals and capable of either getting themselves to their classrom or notifying the office themselves, if unavoidably detained.

I have hax school ring me twice to say my child was missing. It turned out that they had failed to check before ringing me and on one occasion they actually lied and told me they had checked when they hadn't. I went batshit - so fucking irresponsible to scare the shit out of a parent like that without checking the facts first.

noblegiraffe · 28/10/2016 12:21

Sounds bonkers that the school is so vigorously chasing up the attendance of sixth formers.
If a teacher is absent in my school, sixth form lessons aren't covered. We'd email the class work, or a sign would be put on the door telling them that the teacher wasn't in and they'd be expected to go and do some independent work. So in this case someone would just pop next door and ask 'is Mrs X in today?' Then when the teacher came back they'd retro fill the register with 'lesson cancelled'.

lljkk · 28/10/2016 12:29

This happened 2 us, I can't recall how old. We knew kid was in school.
We were amused @ their mistake.

HSMMaCM · 28/10/2016 12:53

I would ask for the late mark to be removed because dd can be thrown out due to attendance points and I wouldn't want any unnecessary points added.

We've only been sent a text twice. Once I was able to say, please pop into the nurse's office and you'll find her there. The other time I was able to remind them that they had just put her in an ambulance and I was now sitting by her hospital bed.

They were both while in years 7-11. I got a phone call from the head of 6th form to ask DD's whereabouts and explained she was in the shopping centre with me, as she had no lessons that afternoon. It was only because he wanted to see her about something and couldn't find her.

AmyFlower · 06/11/2016 18:33

I would be challenging the late mark.

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