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Education

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Why are Schools so obsessed with Childrens attendance?

324 replies

Darren2134 · 08/08/2025 17:41

Last Month, a parent told me something that really unsettled me: their child had received a letter branding him a “persistent absentee”. The kicker? If his attendance improved by 5%, he’d be invited to a party.
Let that sink in. A 5-year-old—just starting school life—is being incentivised to “try harder” to attend. But this isn’t really about motivating the child, is it? It’s a covert attempt to pressure the parent—using the child’s disappointment as leverage. The message is: Get them in, or they’ll be left out.
But who are these so-called “persistent absentees”? Often, they’re the kids who’ve been sick repeatedly—maybe with covid or other bugs. They’re the ones with unstable home lives, whose families might be struggling with poverty or mental health. Maybe the child is deeply anxious, overwhelmed by the transition to school, or dealing with SEN.
What good is a party to a child who is unwell, exhausted, or afraid? A glittery invitation doesn’t cure illness. It doesn’t magic up a bus fare. It doesn’t suddenly make school a place where a child feels safe.
This isn’t motivation—it’s manipulation. It weaponises disappointment. And it risks making vulnerable children feel ashamed, excluded, and “less than” for things utterly beyond their control.
The way we talk about attendance needs to change. Education should be accessible—but for some children, 100% attendance is simply not realistic. We should be asking why a child is struggling to attend, not punishing them for it.
We need to move away from blame and shame. Instead of pushing attendance as the end goal, how about asking how we can support children who are struggling? What would it look like if schools were funded and resourced to genuinely include all children, even those who can't always make it through the gates?
Curious what others think. Has anyone else experienced this kind of thing?

OP posts:
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AlertEagle · 09/08/2025 17:38

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 16:58

And what “help” exactly do you think a school would provide that magics away the child’s disability and how incompatible it is with the rigid school environment and schedule?

Are you ok? The question wasnt for you, its obvious the parent need support with her child. You keep attacking people in the comments one after the other, its a sunny day go out and get some vit d and chill

Kirbert2 · 09/08/2025 17:45

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 17:30

I have addressed your first point twice already. The entire point is that you make such generalisations without recognising the enormous variance amongst the children who struggle with regular attendance which will be for a wide variety of vastly different reasons therefore the appropriate remedy and expected outcomes for them - and indeed whether forcing them into that environment will do more harm than good - will also be wildly different.

By definition the children who struggle most with attendance are the outliers so applying statistics from the general population of children to one of them as an individual and stating that X approach will work for all children who struggle to attend school is nonsense.

Furthermore, it shows a misunderstand of correlation vs causation. As pointed out, many children who struggle to attend regularly have SEND. Others have a chaotic family life or severe medical issues so miss much school due to being in hospital etc. Of course - given the appalling, discriminatory and unlawful refusal of the legally required SEND provision by schools and Local Authorities across the country causing immense trauma to children, or impoverished/ abusive backgrounds which prevent children having a normal childhood, or being so unwell they are fighting for their basic health and have less capacity to learn - such children are likely to underperform compared to peers who suffer none of these issues.

This does not mean that their lower performance is because of their lower attendance, especially not in all cases which by making these oversimplified generalisations you imply to be the case.

It seems that those designing education and schools policy could do with a basic grounding in mathematics and statistics, child development, and logic inference so that they become capable of implementing anything vaguely resembling functional policies.

As I said all parents say their reasons for letting their children miss school are valid - sadly they aren’t at all.

Yet another blanket generalisation when in fact the data shows that in many cases the reasons ARE completely valid. What evidence do you have that they “aren’t [valid] at all” i.e. ever? You alternate between these disgraceful comments blaming parents in all cases and then saying “oh, but we didn’t mean you…”. Well sorry, many of us have seen this nonsense and deflection in action and undeniable data shows it is rife across the country - again, 99% of SEND tribunals are won by parents so when parents and a school disagree a court finds the school is legally wrong in 99% of cases. Therefore, if there is a dispute between a parent and school about the provision a child needs to attend it’s an almost certain assumption that the school is wrong, not the parent.

In terms of my comments above in response to your first point, the first case I mentioned (inappropriate provision for children with SEND preventing high attendance rates) is 100% the fault of schools and Local Authorities so they should be fixing this before slinging mud at anyone else.

The second case is not something soluble by schools because there will always be some useless and irresponsible and/ or abusive parents but schools can try to support the children as best they can so they at least have a supportive environment at school if not at home and want to attend.

The third case often involves LAs breaching their legal duty to provide a full time education to children who are unable to attend school for medical reasons and make appropriate provision for them so that they are able to learn while off school and return without delay.

In all of these examples, therefore, it’s quite clear that very different approaches are required to address the issue and this means schools communicating openly with families, and that the most obvious steps that can be taken to improve things (because sadly you will never eradicate the feckless parents in the second case) would be for schools and Local Authorities to do their jobs properly and comply with the law. Then, perhaps, fewer children with any of these very different problems would achieve lower than average results. Lumping them all together and pretending the parents just “don’t care about education” or “don’t want to send them” is damaging and false and absurd.

Slinging mud at parents because your profession is so incompetent that you’re seemingly incapable of accommodating anybody who isn’t “average” is a shameful failure and won’t wash, I’m afraid. Try working in any properly regulated profession and blaming the customer/ client/ patient for your failure to comply with the legal and statutory requirements of your profession and you’ll rightly get your arse handed to you with a large personal fine, removal if professional qualifications and - in cases if repeated or serious and harmful or deliberate breaches of the law - a prison sentence, and rightfully so.

The sheer audacity of trying to blame those using a service for its inadequacies is quite shocking and completely unacceptable, particularly where vulnerable minors are involved and the harm being caused by this incompetence is lifelong in many cases.

I completely agree.

My son was discharged from hospital in January this year, he didn't get back to school until after Easter. I pushed and pushed for him to go earlier but the LA were absolutely useless and the school tried incredibly hard too to get things put in place but were finding it difficult with the LA.

For the first while, the LA offered no education alternative at all and then again after me and the school nagging and pushing, offered a whopping 1 hour of home tutoring a day which is far from the full time education they are supposed to provide.

Getting a child back to school after a hospital stay shouldn't be that hard.

Sandyshandy · 09/08/2025 17:47

Slithy - I haven’t discussed solutions to the problem of low attendance at all, so I don’t know why you think that I think that all children should be treated with the same approach. I don’t think that at all.

The point I am making is that it is incredibly hard to help those children whose progress and life chances are being limited by parents who either enable absence for trivial reasons or just don’t care without acknowledging that it is a problem. It is an entirely separate issue to the problems of children with serious medical conditions, and you do those children (the ones with enabling/neglectful parents) no favours at all by getting defensive whenever attendance is discussed.

Attendance does matter and we urgently need to address the issue. I’m sorry if you can’t understand that there is a huge range of reasons why children miss school and that there are some valid reasons but also some that aren’t.

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 17:49

AlertEagle · 09/08/2025 17:38

Are you ok? The question wasnt for you, its obvious the parent need support with her child. You keep attacking people in the comments one after the other, its a sunny day go out and get some vit d and chill

Thanks so much. I’m sitting in my bikini by my swimming pool while responding to the idiotic comments here so my vitamin D levels are fine, thank you.

I replied because there were facetious and ridiculous comments made to that poster who described some of her difficulties in getting her child with disabilities to school, telling her to “get up earlier” or to “ask the school to help”. How exactly? Are they going to send over trained medical staff in the mornings to help her get her child calm enough to come in?

Many of the comments here are ignorant, clueless and insulting to parents dealing with incredibly difficult situations, so I feel perfectly “ok” calling them out.

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 17:51

Kirbert2 · 09/08/2025 17:45

I completely agree.

My son was discharged from hospital in January this year, he didn't get back to school until after Easter. I pushed and pushed for him to go earlier but the LA were absolutely useless and the school tried incredibly hard too to get things put in place but were finding it difficult with the LA.

For the first while, the LA offered no education alternative at all and then again after me and the school nagging and pushing, offered a whopping 1 hour of home tutoring a day which is far from the full time education they are supposed to provide.

Getting a child back to school after a hospital stay shouldn't be that hard.

That is disgraceful and illegal and must have been awful for both you and your son. It’s appalling that these people get away with such unlawful behaviour again and again with no consequences.

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 17:54

Sandyshandy · 09/08/2025 17:47

Slithy - I haven’t discussed solutions to the problem of low attendance at all, so I don’t know why you think that I think that all children should be treated with the same approach. I don’t think that at all.

The point I am making is that it is incredibly hard to help those children whose progress and life chances are being limited by parents who either enable absence for trivial reasons or just don’t care without acknowledging that it is a problem. It is an entirely separate issue to the problems of children with serious medical conditions, and you do those children (the ones with enabling/neglectful parents) no favours at all by getting defensive whenever attendance is discussed.

Attendance does matter and we urgently need to address the issue. I’m sorry if you can’t understand that there is a huge range of reasons why children miss school and that there are some valid reasons but also some that aren’t.

That’s exactly my point: you are far more interested in victim-blaming parents and children rather than proposing any workable solutions to improve matters which would necessitate recognising that the most significant reason why there are so many children who struggle to attend schools now is because schools aren’t doing their job even to the minimum legally required standard.

Sandyshandy · 09/08/2025 17:56

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 17:35

And no, @Sandyshandy, I absolutely don’t have to “justify myself to you”. That is not what I’m doing. I am trying to get you to see why the claims you have made have no statistical validity to apply to any individual and that the type of simplistic, mathematically illiterate and absurd generalisations you have made are driving the appalling policies that cause great harm to the health and education of tens of thousands of children. Attempting to deflect blame for this onto parents is unacceptable and, frankly, insulting to people who go through absolute hell because of the incompetence of those who work in the education sector.

Edited

But I am not applying statistics to individuals? I am simply stating that it is a statistical truth that in general low attendance leads to worse outcomes. I don’t understand why you think this is absurd. Obviously missing lots of lessons makes it much harder to make progress, regardless of the reason. You seem very angry and defensive even though I have repeatedly said that some children have perfectly valid medical reasons for missing school. I am not ‘deflecting blame’ onto parents. I am not the head teacher of your DCs school, so don’t blame me if they are crap - you’ve no idea what my opinions on how to deal with attendance are because I haven’t discussed them.

I am saying that there is a group of parents that don’t care or allow school to be missed for trivial reasons- it’s just a fact, and one we owe to children to be able to discuss with people like you assuming we are discussing you and trying to change the subject. I don’t understand why you deny it? Do you think all parents are perfect?

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 17:58

As for this gaslighting, it exemplifies exactly what I’ve been saying re. the gaslighting. My posts repeatedly point out there are a vast range of reasons and that an individualised approach is required and that your generalisations aren’t statistically valid. Yet allegedly I am the one who “doesn’t understand”.

Cloud cuckoo land.

I’m sorry if you can’t understand that there is a huge range of reasons why children miss school and that there are some valid reasons but also some that aren’t.

Kirbert2 · 09/08/2025 17:58

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 17:51

That is disgraceful and illegal and must have been awful for both you and your son. It’s appalling that these people get away with such unlawful behaviour again and again with no consequences.

It was, especially considering the amount of school he'd already missed as he was in hospital for 10 months. He did take part in hospital school but it was very inconsistent because he was unwell and wasn't always up for it.

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 18:03

Sandyshandy · 09/08/2025 17:56

But I am not applying statistics to individuals? I am simply stating that it is a statistical truth that in general low attendance leads to worse outcomes. I don’t understand why you think this is absurd. Obviously missing lots of lessons makes it much harder to make progress, regardless of the reason. You seem very angry and defensive even though I have repeatedly said that some children have perfectly valid medical reasons for missing school. I am not ‘deflecting blame’ onto parents. I am not the head teacher of your DCs school, so don’t blame me if they are crap - you’ve no idea what my opinions on how to deal with attendance are because I haven’t discussed them.

I am saying that there is a group of parents that don’t care or allow school to be missed for trivial reasons- it’s just a fact, and one we owe to children to be able to discuss with people like you assuming we are discussing you and trying to change the subject. I don’t understand why you deny it? Do you think all parents are perfect?

Jesus Christ. Please tell me you do NOT teach maths to anybody. You say you’re “not applying statistics to individuals” then go on to make another generalised assertion yet again trying to claim you can apply statistics from a population to small sub-categories with disparate and specific issues that affect their particular outcomes, and yet again demonstrate you don’t understand the difference between correlation and causation.

The sun has gone behind a cloud and it’s time to make my children’s dinner so I’ll leave this tiresome conversation for now. It’s clear though that you’re involved in the “education” shitshow from your certainty in the validity of your position even when it has been shown to be completely untenable and the obvious flaws in your logic have been debunked.

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 18:05

Kirbert2 · 09/08/2025 17:58

It was, especially considering the amount of school he'd already missed as he was in hospital for 10 months. He did take part in hospital school but it was very inconsistent because he was unwell and wasn't always up for it.

Poor boy. As if all of that wouldn’t have been hard enough already without being denied his legal right to full time education as well. I hope he is much better now, and you have recovered too. The trauma caused to parents by this kind of behaviour from schools and LAs is also significant and barely ever acknowledged.

DontFeedTheDucks · 09/08/2025 18:05

I think concerns should only be if below 80%. Someone said that that’s equivalent to missing 1 day each week, which I don’t think is a big deal really. I’m actually in favour of a 4 day school week. I’ve seen articles about how 4 day working weeks are much better for adult mental health, with increasing mental health issues, I think children would benefit from 4 day school weeks and wouldn’t have as much time off.

DontFeedTheDucks · 09/08/2025 18:10

But in reply to OP, it shouldn’t be allowed to exclude him from a party - how awful for a small child. 90% is quite high attendance in my opinion. Fines / prosecution should only be considered for under 70 % attendance….! But wouldn’t be the first time someone said the education system needs an overhaul!

Kirbert2 · 09/08/2025 18:16

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 18:05

Poor boy. As if all of that wouldn’t have been hard enough already without being denied his legal right to full time education as well. I hope he is much better now, and you have recovered too. The trauma caused to parents by this kind of behaviour from schools and LAs is also significant and barely ever acknowledged.

He is doing well now, thanks. He had so much to deal with - cancer, multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, life changing disabilities and the long hospital stay as well as his continued rehabilitation due to a long stint in intensive care.

All he ever wanted was to get back to normal as soon as possible and of course, that included school and the LA failed him.

BoredZelda · 09/08/2025 18:57

OnlyMabelInTheBuilding · 08/08/2025 17:51

They’re the ones with unstable home lives, whose families might be struggling with poverty or mental health.

These are exactly the children who need to be in school. This is what the policy was designed for; not to make money from otherwise engaged parents who take their kids out for a week’s holiday. It’s the persistent absence which is the issue, and feeds into the attainment gap further.

And I also know parents who keep one child off if the sibling is sick, etc.

Edited

The persistent absentees are rarely just kids who can’t be bothered. A parent who is disengaged with their child’s education is rarely just someone who can’t be arsed and lets their kids run feral. Trying to unpick generations of people who were failed by the education system is never going to be easy. My daughter’s school reduced absenteeism by engaging with families who had been hard to reach. These were parents who saw the school as the enemy, who had been excluded themselves or treated as bad and unteachable, or forgotten. They have outreach teachers who visit with parents and talk about how well their children have done in xyz, or what their potential is. They invite us all in to have coffee mornings, parent/ child science lessons, cooking lessons, art sessions etc. Not only has attendance risen but attainment has gone up and the attainment gap has reduced for children from poorer families. It is now the best performing school in the local authority, easily beating the two schools in the most affluent areas.

In Scotland we are tackling absenteeism because it is better for the children. There is no league table of schools which takes it into account, no board of governors who target it and manipulate the figures so they can keep their “excellent” or “good” Ofsted rating. There is no benefit to the school management of having higher attendance rating. The figures shot up after Covid but they are coming back down now.

BoredZelda · 09/08/2025 19:02

AlertEagle · 09/08/2025 16:45

Have you tried getting up earlier and if it didnt help have you told the school you need help

Oh bless. I am really pleased for you that you haven’t had to struggle with this kind of thing. It allows you to be so blissfully ignorant of what we face.

TheignT · 09/08/2025 19:07

This has reminded me of my child being off school for weeks which included a hospital admission and surgery. He was still off in the run up to Christmas and his school obviously didn't care about his education or safeguarding because they invited him in to the Christmas party. I had to stay as he was still recovering but at least he got to the party.

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 20:08

Kirbert2 · 09/08/2025 18:16

He is doing well now, thanks. He had so much to deal with - cancer, multiple surgeries, chemotherapy, life changing disabilities and the long hospital stay as well as his continued rehabilitation due to a long stint in intensive care.

All he ever wanted was to get back to normal as soon as possible and of course, that included school and the LA failed him.

Absolutely hellish for you all. I’m so sorry. It must have been heartbreaking for you to watch him go through that. So pleased to hear he is ok now. 💐

Givemeachaitealatte · 09/08/2025 20:20

AlertEagle · 09/08/2025 16:45

Have you tried getting up earlier and if it didnt help have you told the school you need help

Yes - tried getting up very early, just in time, early, late - nothing helps. Yes, also told school and pastoral are okay and give them ELSA sessions but as they are well behaved at school there is not much more they can do.

Kirbert2 · 09/08/2025 20:23

TheignT · 09/08/2025 19:07

This has reminded me of my child being off school for weeks which included a hospital admission and surgery. He was still off in the run up to Christmas and his school obviously didn't care about his education or safeguarding because they invited him in to the Christmas party. I had to stay as he was still recovering but at least he got to the party.

It sounds like ours go to similar schools.

Both classes from every year group sent get well soon cards
Teachers came to visit him during half term with a gift basket
Teachers rang him on his birthday and they all sang happy birthday to him

If he was well enough for Christmas parties etc he definitely would've gone too. They are a wonderful school.

I hope your son is doing well now.

Hexwood · 09/08/2025 20:24

BeavisMcTavish · 09/08/2025 10:35

I didn’t read beyond ‘maybe they’re off with Covid’ - were 5 years beyond that nonsense. You know the target is only 95% for schools generally? In normal circumstances that’s getting your fired from your job.

Like it or not covid is still here and still making people ill. And primary school children are not the same as office workers and we should not be treating them as such

SlithyMomeRaths · 09/08/2025 20:25

What’s really depressing is the arrogance and sheer incomprehension of their professional, statutory and legal responsibilities displayed by many teachers. I had hoped things had improved since I was at school myself but I am yet to be convinced.

Givemeachaitealatte · 09/08/2025 20:31

BoredZelda · 09/08/2025 19:02

Oh bless. I am really pleased for you that you haven’t had to struggle with this kind of thing. It allows you to be so blissfully ignorant of what we face.

I answered the question politely but it did make me internally scream - I've tried everything to get help, no one is interested, GP, paid for private therapy, private assessments, I even self referred to social services who didn't even bother to get back to me - as long as they are good in school then that's okay. Don't worry about me getting beaten up every day. It's exhausting. I get them to school in some form or another and then do a full day at work and then more screaming and violence.EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

Hexwood · 09/08/2025 20:34

Givemeachaitealatte · 09/08/2025 20:31

I answered the question politely but it did make me internally scream - I've tried everything to get help, no one is interested, GP, paid for private therapy, private assessments, I even self referred to social services who didn't even bother to get back to me - as long as they are good in school then that's okay. Don't worry about me getting beaten up every day. It's exhausting. I get them to school in some form or another and then do a full day at work and then more screaming and violence.EVERY. SINGLE. DAY.

I'm so sorry I can't imagine how hard that must be 💔

HappyNewTaxYear · 09/08/2025 20:41

DontFeedTheDucks · 09/08/2025 18:05

I think concerns should only be if below 80%. Someone said that that’s equivalent to missing 1 day each week, which I don’t think is a big deal really. I’m actually in favour of a 4 day school week. I’ve seen articles about how 4 day working weeks are much better for adult mental health, with increasing mental health issues, I think children would benefit from 4 day school weeks and wouldn’t have as much time off.

You clearly have absolutely no idea how lessons and series of lessons are planned by teachers, do you? I suppose if you’re not a teacher, you wouldn’t know this, but have you actually considered that you personally might not know enough about education to express this opinion? One day off a week is extremely disruptive for a child’s learning.

It’s so sad that children in many parts of the world without access to schooling are desperate to get it, and here we are with free universal schooling, finding fault with it left right and centre.