88 percent school attendance?

[Shootingstar2289]

Hi all, my son is six and at his parents evening his teacher told me his attendance was 88 percent. She wasn't concerned. She was actually shocked and at it as she said it seemed like my son was always present at school. She said it could prompt a visit from a welfare officer but she wasn't concerned herself.

I feel really disheartened by this. My son is nearly always at school. He has had three sick periods since September (two flu/cold type things and norovirus which he had on and off for a week). It's not like I've kept him off for no reason.

My son will often do a solid two months at school but then get struck down for an illness for a week.

I believe people are too quick to send their poorly children to school when they need to be off but then you have the parents who keep them off for anything. You cannot win.

Should I be concerned?

I can see why it's raised as an issue. Most schools near me watch kids who drop below 90% and then people have meetings below 85%.
A big bout of illness can cause a childs % to drop below a trigger point. If you get a meeting and explain theres real reasons then theres nothing to worry about.

Schools have to monitor because there are some parents who keep children off for any small thing and theres also a safeguarding element to non-attendance. Also some kids end up with patterns e.g. always missing a friday or coming in late on Wed.

Thank you MaisyPops. I'm just over worrying I think. What concerns me is that their always seems to be some kind of 'bug' going around the school and my son has always been unlucky when it come to picking up illnesses and gets really poorly!

Shootingstar2289
Not a problem. I can be unsettling if you know you're doing a good job and then you hear there's a concern. Schools accept kids get ill and as long as DC is in again for a while it'll add up.

The monitoring is there to help schools track people who aren't doing everhthing they should be e.g. keeping children off and calling in saying they have flu (for one day!!) and the children tell us that thry were tired from being out Sunday afternoon. Or children taking odd days out here and there. Or keeping the secondary age kid off to provide childcare for sibling.
All of those are real examples I can think of in the last couple of years.

Sickness bugs are a nightmare MiaowTheCat. My son had it on and off for a week in January. He would be ok for a day or two so planned to send him back then would randomly vomit again and have to be kept off. They aren't allowed back for 48 hours in my sons school. But yet last week, I overheard a Mother tell the teacher her daughter had been sick the night before but still sent her in!

He hasn't had any time off since early January MaisyPops. So hoping it will add up! 😀

Ds got a letter today congratulating him for 100% attendance so far this year. He's been off today with a sickness bug!