My 3 year old a persistant absentee?

[MmeButterfly]

I just wonder if my preschool has misled me.... my 3 year old missed a bit of nursery last term - she had two nights in hospital with wheezing and so i kept her at home for the remainder of the week, she was then sent back home on her return to nursery because the inhaler i took was not correctly labelled with her name and i hadn't taken a care plan from the dr, just a letter i wrote. I kept her at home for a day later on in term when she had another chesty cough and I didn't want her getting wheezy again at school (the staff, lovely as they are hadn't noticed her wheezing the first time around whereas I noticed upon picking her up). This term I received a letter when I picked her up telling me she had fallen below 85% attendance and as such the DfE label such pupils as 'persistant absentees' and that the school would be monitoring her attendance closely. I just laughed at the letter but its really bugging me. How can this be in none compulsory education? and if this isn't legally correct, why on earth would the school hassle me with this nonsense? If anyone has had similar experience or knows more about the law than me i would love to hear from you.

Do you pay for the sessions or us she funded? If she is funded then it's probably that the local authority have done an audit of the register and found she is missing sessions they have paid for, more and more authorities are then charging back that cost to the pre-school.

It isn't compulsory to go but if you sign the funding form for sessions then you need to attend those sessions unless she is too ill to attend.

Yes, they are funded sessions but she was ill!!

Did you write letters each time to explain absence? We have to do this so they have a physical record if they have an inspection. On receipt of the letter it becomes unhorsed abscence.

No i didn't write letters but I left messages on the office answering machine. Good tip though. will remember this next time.

My son has recurrent hospitalisation a with wheeze, always after picking up a virus at preschool. He has been about twice in the last 6 weeks.
My sil is a preschool teacher and says she would report his attendance as poor. What a load of rubbish in a non compulsory setting. I have asked my health visitor to liaise with the school nurse and have a record of his illnesses to cover my back.
Health visitor told me not to worry, if they are ill they can't go to preschool or school.

Fill in an absence form. I think there is a certain level of attendance below which the funding can be recalled. Then a setting can bill a parent. This is set out in the funding application form. I think... Haven't filled one in for a while and it could vary between authorities.

It isn't compulsory no, but you have applied for money to cover his sessions and this has to be justified by the setting.

It shouldn't apply to absence through sickness, so make sure the reasons are clear with the setting.

Indeed your problem is serious and must be worrying you.In every school a minimum attendance is necessary but when a child is very ill he/she has to remain absent and this is a genuine problem.I think you must talk to the school authority again and show all the doctors prescriptions and medical certificates. Hope they will consider your case and some solution will be sorted out.