Would your school contact you if your child doesn't arrive?

[ayla99]

Apparently dd's school have no policy of contacting parents if a child doesn't arrive in school.

I think the risk to dd en route is minimal - but I had assumed it would be policy to contact parent if they hadn't been given a reason for absence.

[expatinscotland]

Yes, after the murder of Ruaridh Black by a paroled peadophile, who hanged himself in his garden shed as the police closed in.

He'd booby-trapped the house knowing they were coming.

Thankfully, no police officers were injured.

[stillcryinginside]

Our Secondary school calls if you've not contacted them by 9.30 to inform them of a lateness or absence. I think it's a great idea and hopefully all schools will do this eventually. I'd rather know sooner rather than later that my child/ren hadn't arrived at school. If they were truanting they'd get a swift kick up the backside from me then taken into school to be dealt with there too. but if god forbid something awful had happened and the first you where aware of it was hours later when they didn't arrive home from school doesn't bare thinking about.
Please don't even get me started on lack of funding and/or resources when there are millions/billions found for other things

[mumeeee]

My daughters school also send out texts if your child has not arrived. We have had texts when they have been there. Usualy if they are at a singing class or Drama rehearsel.

[sugarfree]

Ds1's school does(1400 pupils)
I only found out because he was on a school rugby trip and the office hadn't been informed.

[rbj949703]

DD1's secondary school (roughly 1000 on roll) use this

You get repeated phone calls until you leave a message or phone school office and they cancel it.

[butterflywings]

My sister's secondary school (1700 pupils) has the same policy as the one Fimbo talked about but, like mears, they only ever phone my mum when Dsis is at school.
And she often skips school, so it's not like they haven't had the opportunity to phone when she hasn't turned up

[mears]

Our secondary school sends out a text if your child does not arrive (1200 pupils). We have had 3 texts but children were actually there - hadn't been marked as present in registration. Don't mind the mistake though - shows texts get to us.

[FiveFingeredFiend]

landline

[FiveFingeredFiend]

yes. i have had a phone call to my mandline - i so happened to be home, Don't know whether they would bother to ring my works mobile.

[unknownrebelbang]

Don't know about the primary - I always pop in to say if one of them is going to be off for any reason when I drop the other one off, but I don't think there's a policy. Most, if not all, children get taken to school anyway - small rural school.

My eldest's secondary school has an automated system if the child hasn't registered or you've not informed them of the absence - got a call once informing me he wasn't there, so rang in panic-struck only to find he was there, but had missed registration due to some confusion.

[Skribble]

Our primary school does, but it is a fairly new policy and is not happening in all schools yet. I am still used to sending in a letter the next day, so I ahve had a few calls form school when I have forgotton to call. They will phone home and I think the emergency contact. If no answer they will call police.

Its perhaps something to suggest to the school, let them know that other schools are doing this now. If it is not a huge school with lots ot truants it wouldn;t be a big job in the morning.

[nappyaddict]

my secondary school - no
my 6th form - yes used to ring by 9:45am. always made sure if i skived on days mum was at home i registered by 9:45

[Loshad]

ours does, secondary school. Start ringing around 9.15 am - day starts at 8.30 am so plenty of time to ring in sick.

[twinsetandpearls]

the school I teaches in calls the home/ contact number of every no show child - and we have a fair few every day!

[beep]

our school does first day calling as well actually they both do primary and secondary.
the secondary school has 1800 so I don't thinnk pupil numbers are an issue.

[NoodleStroodle]

Surely they have to? They are effectively in loco parentis?

[oxocube]

Yes, absolutely. But its a small school, with about 14 kids in each class and a primary. School would phone home, then try parents' mobiles then email.

[beckybrastraps]

I think it is certainly a good thing to do. ANd the school I was talking about had 1600 pupils, so it is certainly possible. But if phoning starts at 9.30, then by the time you get to the bottom of the list, you are well into the morning.

But it is certainly useful information to have, quite apart from the safety aspect. It is useful to know straight away whether a prent expects their child to be in school on a particular day and tackle truancy immediately, rather than do the whole chasing up notes thing.

[joash]

Don't know at this school as it's a new one and in a different area - but DS's/DD2's old school used to do this. As soon as the office had all the registers back - they'd start making calls. And they had an order -the parents/carers of those who were rarely absent would be called first , etc

[Fimbo]

Sorry but I feel it is necessary. But then I don't let my dd walk to school alone either.

[Aimsmum]

Message withdrawn

[portonovo]

Fimbo, that's fine. I just said I've never heard of any school doing that - in any of the towns I've lived in.

I still can't see my children's school, with 1700 pupils, doing that, nor do I believe it to be truly necessary except where there is a known problem with truancy or other issues.

Obviously, they chase absences which aren't sufficiently explained once a child returns.

[Saggarmakersbottomknocker]

Our secondary does this. They call it 'First day calling'. If your child doesn't arrive and you don't call they call or text you. The school has over 1000 pupils and have an attendance officer dedicated to this task.

[Fimbo]

PORTONOVO
My dd's school DOES do it. You have to ring by 9.15 at the latest to say they will be off sick etc etc, if not they start ringing parents from 9.30am to ask why the child is not at school.

My friend has just started working part-time in the office and this is one of her tasks.