bloody stupid letter from headmaster about dd's attendance (in reception!!!)

[CountessDracula]

DD was pretty ill a couple of weeks into this term with a chest infection that took two courses of antibiotics (administered at lunchtime by the school both times) to clear up. She had a week off in total (as she had a temperature for the whole time and was really unwell).

I had a letter from the school today saying that I had to go for an interview with the Headmaster to discuss her attendance as it has been below 90% this term (which is only half way through!)

I had a discussion with him when she came back as I bumped into him, he said to her "oh you look rather poorly" and I said "oh well, she doesn't have a temperature and as you know us working parents get a hard enough time as it is without all this blinking illness"

So waht is the point of a blinking interview?

I feel like just not turning up. I filled out the form saying why she was off. They know why. What good is an interview going to do?

oh an dother than this she hasn't had a day off at all

It's probably part of some post OFSTED drive. Our school has just been done and the major criticism was authorised absence levels. Which is of course a pretty good thing to have as a main criticism, but will mean lots of lovely new 'strategies'

what a load of arse it is then

might just be automatic as below 90% is a problem for Ofsted - but agree it is daft, esp in reception and when you have already spoken to him

snap FM!

i could understand if she had every monday off or something

shouldn't they take the %age complete of the term into account? It is only under 90% if you look at one half of the term

Sounds like a letter that gets sent out automatically. By idiots.

Write back, remind them of dd's illness and say you'll be happy to go to the interview if they would just outline the topics to be discussed.

Maybe they just have to haul parents in to tick boxes on some LEA form.

Hope your dd better now.

it's very early on to worry about stuff like that. Mine have been off for far longer in a half term and no-one's said a thing! I would maybe write a letter back or just say in the interview that you thought it was a bit unnecessary.

Is there another child in her class that is having attendance issues? The only other thing I can think of is that they are trying to apply a policy consistently and there's someone else in the class who is having genuine attendance problems and they want to show they are interviewing everyone who has been off a certain amount, even if they know the reason iyswim.

Not that I know of but I wouldn't know

It is signed personally by the hm so not just automatic

It says they want to talk about how to improve attendance

Well I suppose I could send her in with a temperature and she could pass it to the rest of the class and then he really would ahve something to worry about

I'd go and tell him that you'll bring her in next time she's unwell and do they have facilities to care for a sick child?

that sounds like the standard letter though CD - print off and sign. It is some sort of attendance target.

Just not worth it for illness (making this sort of fuss) imho.

Just tell him that!

I would send a note back saying that as they had previously been informed she was off through illness, and that if he has any specific ideas that would help her avoid all contact with germs then I would be happy to discuss it, but otherwise any such meeting would be a pointless waste of time for everyone involved and therefore I wouldn't be accepting his invitation to attend an interview.

Or maybe I wouldn't - but I would WANT to.

I would write back and remind him of the reason for your DD's absence and ask whether there really is anything to be gained by the interview.

they have to do with you this because they want to do it with others (who are taking every Monday off) and need to be seen to be treating everyone the same. Don't worry.

or (assuming it was in her book bag) you could just totally ignore it and feign ignorance when they mention it, and then say "but she had that dreadful chest infection...".

we had one of these, regarding DS2, when he was in the nursery unit!!!!

and I was livid, as they penelised him for when he was in hosptial too.

I was so livid in fact, I went for the meeting, explained all about it, told them about the hospital admittence etc, also explained that I had told the school secretary why and when, turned out it was a mixture of the school secretary twisting things, plus this huge farkin deal with ofsted, (the ofsted 'deal' leads to any and all parents across the country getting letters about their kiddies if they slip below 90/95%), and I got targeted amoung several others.

they felt my wrath!!!!.

and then I moved schools!

I now have DD3's attendance as less then 80%, due to her illness which is still under investigation, and this school is wonderful, as they are also about DS2 as he is still having bowel issues.

Ofsted and the government have much to answer for

Standard letter I expect in line with your LAs attendance policy. I'm not sure why they are bothering with termly % TBH. Ofsted are only bothered about the overall figure.

We write to parents if the attendance is below 92% (to let them know what percentage the child is at and what is considered acceptable) but don't invite in unless it's much lower than that.

Is dd compulsory school age CD (over 5)? If not I would politely decline his inviation adding that he probably has much more pressing cases to deal with.

dd's attendence is about 86% at mo, and I was told it was not a worry as she caught loads of illness in first term and was off about 12 days

LOL I think I'd write a letter along the lines of sympathising with him for having to waste his time sending pointless letters like this inviting people to pointless meetings, when he has much more important things to attend to.

But unless there is an agenda for the meeting, it would certainly be a waste of your time to go. Unless of course, he serves particularly nice biscuits. (You could enquire?)

bloody hell this is you cd!!!

you must be so pissed off.

phone up and tell them they are being ridicule.

they can't mean you to take time out to come in cause your dd has been ill (i take it she had a dr's note?).

it's nonsense.

Fucking ridiculous.
My kids gallivant around the world with me to see their father in term time and it is positively encouraged.

Would be tempted to go in for interview and spin it out as long as possible (perhaps giving a blow-by-blow account of every minute of her illness) to teach them not to be so ridiculous in future...

dd has 45% attendance due to illness. The school say nothing except, gosh these new littlies catch everything. And it is bloody true. 3 tummy bugs. Two major flu things. One tonsilitis... And it is only march!

tell the HM that you'll have interview by phone, at a certain time and date to suit you. And that you'll post Dr's notes etc to them as you're too busy to come in face to face having to catch up from time off work to nurse your LO. They should have 'incident' reports of administering meds.

it's pretty unreal how the bureaucratic process can get more important than people.