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Original poster

School attendance 86%

20 replies

sossysalads · 12/05/2023 13:11

Hello,

At what percentage will a school intervene?

My dsd is currently at 86% from September. When we had her here last, we had a look through her phone (she's 10). There are a lot of other issues at home with her mum but I won't go into that. Just that there are concerns. This includes to do with things we have found on her phone previously.

In the conversations she has with her mum (they text a lot in the same house)- there are so many saying she didn't want to go to school as she was tired or couldn't be bothered. Also we saw some photos of her shopping and that was a school day also. Just a lot of this.

We got her school attendance through and it's 86%- she's missed two whole weeks off school because her mum went away on holiday and no one could have her (we didn't know about this at all until we saw the texts!). So she stayed with her nan. Two separate weeks.

So I think roughly she's missed 27 days off since September.

Just a lot of 'I' on the report.

Will the school intervene? Or do they have other more important concerns to get on with?

We may have a court case coming up with mum unfortunately so it may be something that needs to be addressed then.

OP posts:
SamPoodle123 · 12/05/2023 13:20

What is wrong with the mum going on holiday and not making sure her dd can get to school?! She is setting her dd up for failure. It is important for her to go to school and get a good education. The mother sounds very selfish. I have 3 dc and would LOVE to go on holiday alone. Heck, I can actually do this, as we have an au pair and my dh could easily take them to school. However, I do not do this, as I care about my dc and too many important things going on for them that I want to be around for to just go take random holidays on my own.

arethereanyleftatall · 12/05/2023 13:24

Can you give us a bit more info on how often her dad has her, and why he didn't know about the weeks with Nan? Why was he not asked to have her?

MintJulia · 12/05/2023 13:28

Why didn't her dad have her, while her mum was on holiday?

85% attendance isn't great, but eavesdropping on private text conversations between her and her mum isn't great either. And unnecessary, because her dad has the school attendance figures.

Heckythump1 · 12/05/2023 13:45

I'm surprised that 27 days off is only 86% attendance... my DD has had 4 days off since September that was 95%!
I'm also surprised that school haven't already intervened as 27 days is 5 school weeks and 2 days, which is almost a whole half-term off since September.

LIZS · 12/05/2023 13:48

How well do the parents communicate? Her df can raise concerns with the school, in case they have been fobbed off by her dm.

HobnobsChoice · 12/05/2023 13:48

Is it 27 days or 27 sessions which would be 13 and a half days?
Ultimately if the school decide to refer this to the local authority then they could look at fining for unauthorised absence or at least an Ed Welfare referral for her. Both parents can be liable for fines even if only living with one of them

Baystar · 12/05/2023 14:04

With 87% she is classed as a persistent absentee, PA (90% and under) as somebody said parents can be at risk of fine if the absences are unauthorised, or a referral to Education welfare Team, when If absences continue parents could be at risk of prosecution.
87% without a good reason (eg medical related) is unacceptable and needs improvement.

Original poster
sossysalads · 12/05/2023 14:27

Going by this it's 27 days not sessions and that does add up to the days she's missed. This isn't her school btw I just found this on the internet.

We live quite far away (we didn't move, DSD mum did a long time ago now).

Some times we know something is going on or being hidden from us because it'll be when we can hardly get in touch with dsd.

Communication is awful between both parents but it's not my dp- he is doing everything he can do have a relationship with his daughter and always has done. They have had lots of mediations about a lot of things, health mainly. She used to come to us absolutely filthy and smelly. Poo in knickers etc up until recently. There's a lot of other concerns; this is just one of them.

In the mediation, my partner wanted to sort the communication out. As she's ignore my partner for weeks about arrangements etc. so an agreement was put in place two years ago now. It's failed! My partner and I have stuck to it all, it was very fair. But unfortunately dsd mum has failed to do so much on it. Just common decency and respect, eg; don't be rude in front of dsd etc. be professional with each other etc but she can't manage that.

If we had known mum was away and dsd couldn't go to school, we'd of offered to go and stay up there or try and sort something out!

It's just never ending. I'm not mum bashing here; I know it really seems like it. But we've just had so much over the years to try and sort out.

And we know going through her phone is an invasion of privacy but there were a lot of concerns on there before (no child limits set by mum.) so we wanted to make sure it was all in place so she didn't see anything inappropriate.

I also go through my sons phone now and again and he's older; he knows this. People may agree or may not but that's not the issue here.

School attendance 86%
OP posts:
Baystar · 12/05/2023 14:33

If dad has PR then he is within his rights/ should be doing this anyway, to ask school to communicate with him also so he can be aware of times she is missing school and act on it in a timely way.

HeyDemonsItsYaGirl · 12/05/2023 14:48

What are contact arrangements? Has your partner made any steps to become the resident parent?

Original poster
sossysalads · 12/05/2023 14:57

HeyDemonsItsYaGirl · 12/05/2023 14:48

What are contact arrangements? Has your partner made any steps to become the resident parent?

We do all holidays/half terms. We meet half way as this was in the mediation but she has recently said she will not meet for May or July because the mediation plan isn't legally binding so she 'doesn't have to'.

OP posts:
HeyDemonsItsYaGirl · 12/05/2023 15:32

Well no, she doesn't have to. Why isn't your partner taking it further to protect his daughter?

Original poster
sossysalads · 12/05/2023 16:56

HeyDemonsItsYaGirl · 12/05/2023 15:32

Well no, she doesn't have to. Why isn't your partner taking it further to protect his daughter?

No but she should be promoting a healthy relationship between her dad and daughter.

We are, we are about to see a solicitor for court. It's taken some time to gather all we need.

OP posts:
drpet49 · 12/05/2023 17:00

27 days off is ridiculous and authorities would have intervened by now.

Original poster
sossysalads · 12/05/2023 17:02

drpet49 · 12/05/2023 17:00

27 days off is ridiculous and authorities would have intervened by now.

So why haven't they?

OP posts:
Baystar · 12/05/2023 18:04

@sossysalads they may have involved the authorities and her mum hasn't communicated that with you. Just ask school what action has been taken over absences to date.

thimblgattle167 · 12/05/2023 18:14

My ds attendance was 79% this year (due to a serious illness). The school had to send a letter but obviously in it said "they understand why he's been off". The teacher told me in conversation that If it hadn't been due a serious illness then it would have been taken further. Are you sure the school haven't written to the mum

KCIII · 13/05/2023 06:15

How do you know they haven’t intervened as you didn’t know Mum was away for 2 weeks?

27 days (or do you mean sessions which is half day?) would be less than 86% attendance. I would say my DD has had 5 days off across the year and has attendance of over 96%.

As said above, your DP needs to communicate with school so all correspondence goes to both parents.

Patchworksack · 13/05/2023 06:24

The attendance is likely to be worse than 86% because that chart is assuming it’s 27 days off over a whole school year and we’re only 3/4 through. I would think the school have already flagged it with LA.

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