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Original poster

Has anyone else home educated to avoid hassle over attendance ?

151 replies

backedintoacorner · 26/12/2022 17:18

We can’t get the required level. Combination of pre existing medical issues and constant viruses etc .
can’t sign a contract as I know we can’t influence the % so there’s no point.

At this point seriously considering not returning after Xmas hols and just de registering to home educate as it seems to be either you are fine and can go 97%+ of the time or you’re not ok but there’s no allowance made so it’s constant hassle and threats of legal action causing stress on the whole family

OP posts:
Thatsshallot1967 · 26/12/2022 17:26

Hi op. If the attendance is related to illness is it not then an 'authorised absence'? If it's e.g. a holiday in term-time or just not turning up it's 'unauthorised' and with the latter this is when the issues with attendance officers begin and they can start asking questions? Why are they threatening legal action with children who are ill. It's absolutely insane.

Original poster
backedintoacorner · 26/12/2022 17:28

Thatsshallot1967 · 26/12/2022 17:26

Hi op. If the attendance is related to illness is it not then an 'authorised absence'? If it's e.g. a holiday in term-time or just not turning up it's 'unauthorised' and with the latter this is when the issues with attendance officers begin and they can start asking questions? Why are they threatening legal action with children who are ill. It's absolutely insane.

It’s illness mostly viruses and covid and d+v. I think the underlying conditions cause susceptibility maybe to being badly affected by viral things. I refused to sign the contract as that’s like saying I have control over this when I don’t! It’s a system where there are no allowances made at all

OP posts:
Oblomov22 · 26/12/2022 17:28

Irrespective of home v school learning, What is being done to help the health issues? What is consultant and Senco saying?

MithrilCostsMore · 26/12/2022 17:29

My kids have always been around the 85% mark due to illness. Never been hassled, just sent out the obligatory letter.

VioletLemon · 26/12/2022 17:29

Wow, I've never heard of this. Where are you based?!

YolayCaprese · 26/12/2022 17:30

We were threatened with court action two days before the end of term for two episodes of sickness in our four year old! Not even compulsory school age. Schools are way overstepping.
I haven't pulled him out but with pre existing health conditions they really shouldn't be hassling you.
My DP sent an email to the head of attendance (yes, we have a deputy head responsible for attendance) and she more or less backed off immediately.

Original poster
backedintoacorner · 26/12/2022 17:35

Oblomov22 · 26/12/2022 17:28

Irrespective of home v school learning, What is being done to help the health issues? What is consultant and Senco saying?

We just have to keep getting letters (we have to pay for GP ones and they aren’t happy to do them as said it’s not actually a requirement but school want acute illnesses ‘verified’)
Consultant has written to say in general children with these type of underlying issues have lower attendance etc

Ive just had enough and feeling like home education will be a better fit for us as a family

OP posts:
TheYearOfSmallThings · 26/12/2022 17:38

Of course not. You send the children when they are well enough, don't send them when they aren't, and it will be absolutely fine.

Blinkingmarvellous · 26/12/2022 17:42

It's the equivalent of constructive dismissal but for children. Appalling. If the school aren't responding well to letters from doctors you could try your local mp. Home Ed is obviously a massive commitment for the whole family

Blinkingmarvellous · 26/12/2022 17:42

Is it an outwood or NET academy by any chance??

Thatsshallot1967 · 26/12/2022 17:46

GP letters are about £25 a shot aren't they? It really is outrageous of the school to be requesting evidence, the implication being that they think the parent is somehow lying. I would be telling the school that if they require a certificate the school are welcome to contact the GP for certification but from now on it will be at the school's cost. This is what I would do personally.

I think also that you shouldn't have to deregister and HE due to these ridiculous policies. It feels almost as if you are being bullied here, op. Your child cannot help illness. They are humans.

Additionally, can you get in contact with your MP to see if they can help?

Original poster
backedintoacorner · 26/12/2022 17:46

TheYearOfSmallThings · 26/12/2022 17:38

Of course not. You send the children when they are well enough, don't send them when they aren't, and it will be absolutely fine.

That’s what we’ve been doing . Autumn and winter terms are always worse it picks up a bit in spring and summer but we can’t get at least 97% which is required and no allowances made.
it’s all ‘authorised’ but we have to prove it and there’s this constant pressure to improve it . If I could I would. We get told to just ‘give paracetamol and get in to school’ but I know my child and I can’t dose her up and send her if she’s not actually well enough

OP posts:
Hobbi · 26/12/2022 17:46

YolayCaprese · 26/12/2022 17:30

We were threatened with court action two days before the end of term for two episodes of sickness in our four year old! Not even compulsory school age. Schools are way overstepping.
I haven't pulled him out but with pre existing health conditions they really shouldn't be hassling you.
My DP sent an email to the head of attendance (yes, we have a deputy head responsible for attendance) and she more or less backed off immediately.

You can't be fined if your child is not of compulsory school age in England.

Original poster
backedintoacorner · 26/12/2022 17:47

Thatsshallot1967 · 26/12/2022 17:46

GP letters are about £25 a shot aren't they? It really is outrageous of the school to be requesting evidence, the implication being that they think the parent is somehow lying. I would be telling the school that if they require a certificate the school are welcome to contact the GP for certification but from now on it will be at the school's cost. This is what I would do personally.

I think also that you shouldn't have to deregister and HE due to these ridiculous policies. It feels almost as if you are being bullied here, op. Your child cannot help illness. They are humans.

Additionally, can you get in contact with your MP to see if they can help?

£30 each here

OP posts:
Original poster
backedintoacorner · 26/12/2022 17:48

It’s also the fact we then have to take up a gp appt to verify something we could manage at home (fever sore throat etc) but it’s like they want a doctor to have said ‘yes we saw the throat was red’ or ‘yes we can verify she had a fever’

OP posts:
eatdrinkandbemerry · 26/12/2022 17:48

My child was 80% last year 🤷‍♀️
Caught covid and every virus going!
School tried to make me say I will improve child's attendance but I argued I'm not able to .
They threatened welfare officers and alsorts but nothing came of it.
Not all children have good immune systems ffs

Original poster
backedintoacorner · 26/12/2022 17:49

eatdrinkandbemerry · 26/12/2022 17:48

My child was 80% last year 🤷‍♀️
Caught covid and every virus going!
School tried to make me say I will improve child's attendance but I argued I'm not able to .
They threatened welfare officers and alsorts but nothing came of it.
Not all children have good immune systems ffs

This was why I refused to sign to say I’d improve the attendance level because I have no control over it so how can I promise to improve it !!!

OP posts:
MelchiorsMistress · 26/12/2022 17:50

Avoiding stress about attendance is probably the worst possible reason to hime educate.

Do it because you have a burning passion to learn alongside your children, or because school isn’t meeting their needs because of SEN or because it would be better than school for them for some reason, not because you don’t want to engage with the school about attendance.

SpinningFloppa · 26/12/2022 17:52

Kind of, my daughter is 11 and was given a mainstream school when I applied for sen schools (she's autistic) so I pulled her out and home educate. Wouldn't have chosen to but had to to avoid getting into trouble.

ooherrmissus14 · 26/12/2022 17:54

Part of my previous role was to oversee attendance (I used to hate it as I think most people do whose job it is!). These situations are difficult as schools have to follow up on low attendance but it sounds like they've been particularly zealous here!! What I used to do in these situation was (with the parents consent) to send a letter to the gp with a copy of the attendance certificate and a covering letter asking them if they agreed that the level of absences reflected their absence. I made it as easy as possible for the gp to reply (inc a stamped address envelope, tick a box response). Once I had that back, it meant the parent didn't need to keep providing medical evidence so they didn't have to keep paying (I had to resend it every year to keep the education welfare officer happy!!). With children with chronic conditions who had specialist nurses, I would already just liaise with them and use that as evidence.
I always believed that I needed to work alongside parents to support them where I could as that was in the child's best interests rather than taking a punitive approach. Maybe see if the school would be willing to try this?

MelchiorsMistress · 26/12/2022 17:55

It really is outrageous of the school to be requesting evidence, the implication being that they think the parent is somehow lying.

Some parents do lie though, to the detriment of their children’s education. It is right that something is put in place to deal with that, even if the school isn’t going about it the best way here. Unfortunately the parents who are genuine get caught up in the battle that Local Authorities rightly have with the parents who keep their children home from school for spurious reasons.

PenOrPencil · 26/12/2022 17:55

Can you not ignore them? Standard answer: copy of consultant letter stating your dc’s underlying medical issues can contribute to lower attendance. Let them escalate if they want to, they are discriminating against your dc…
Turn it around on the school. Your dc has underlying medical issues - how are they protecting her from catching things at school?
Can they assign you a family support worker to help you improve attendance? I know the family support worker idea sounds ridiculous, but our family support worker was 100% on our side and put the school firmly in their place.

teezletangler · 26/12/2022 17:55

Your child is still 4? Why are you jumping through all these hoops for the school, getting GP notes and such? Your child isn't even compulsory school age yet, surely you don't need to comply with any of their daft requests?

ooherrmissus14 · 26/12/2022 17:56

That should say 'the level of absence matched their medical need'

Thatsshallot1967 · 26/12/2022 17:59

Blinkingmarvellous · 26/12/2022 17:42

It's the equivalent of constructive dismissal but for children. Appalling. If the school aren't responding well to letters from doctors you could try your local mp. Home Ed is obviously a massive commitment for the whole family

Agree with Blinkingmarvellous the school wouldn't dismiss a teacher for poor attendance due to ill health and rightly so. Why are our young people treated so appallingly and with so little compassion.

Melchiors I didn't read this as the op refusing to engage with the school. They have it seems, as they are providing GP certificates when asked (op, do not send any more - you shouldn't have to).