Attendance letter

[Cori21]

I have received a letter from the council regarding my child's attendance stating that I could be fined or/and sent to prison for 3 months. How likely is it that I will be prosecuted? Has anyone else had one of these letters from the council (not the actual school) and what was the outcome?

I work in a school and we have requested that the council prosecute many parents for poor attendance. Many have been taken to court and prosecuted and fined large amounts.

This is either off the back of a long history of poor attendance, a long holiday or because of missing statutory exams.

All requested as per the local authority's guidelines.

What is your child's attendance?

81%

Have you spoken to school - is the cause illness/mental health etc - if you are working with school it will be seen more positively

We had a couple of letters like in the past. When I called the school I’m sure that they said they were automatically sent from the local authority. I’m not sure if your letter is different though???

I think it will depend on that the situation is. If your child is physically ill, struggling with their mental health, ND or whether it’s a case of a parent not sending the child to school without good reason.

It can also depend on if you’re trying to improve attendance and if you’re engaging with the school.

As I say, I don’t know if your letter is different from ours, but I remember them sounding very harsh. We were engaged with the school, they could see we were responsible parents and there were reasons for low attendance so nothing further happened. One child is now at university, one child doing GCSEs and predicted great results.

A bit of both really. He gets ill often. He suffers with anxiety and when he is ill, it causes him more anxiety. Plus he's not very resillient when he's ill. Sometimes he becomes hyper focussed about not wanting to go to school and goes out of the door crying and shaking and ends up turning back.

Have you got evidence from the Doctor about his frequent illnesses or are these illnesses where he hasn't visited the Doctor? Have you spoken to school about his school refusal? If they have all the information and you are working with them you will have a better case than if you just regularly ring up to say he won't be in with the school not understanding what is going on.

Not all his illnesses have required a visit to the doctor. I have said a couple of times that he has been absent because of an anxiety attack. School are aware that he has anxiety and the doctor has issued a letter 3 years running to allow him to get a toilet pass.

Have you had a face to face meeting with the school to discuss attendance and your sons anxiety?

I found being very proactive about it helped. We booked a meeting with the pastoral lead where we explained everything and made it clear we were willing to work with the school and keep them updated, but that our child’s wellbeing came before attendance. They suggested a few adjustments they could make to try to help. They can give other passes that may help, they can have him talk to a pastoral/school counsellor type person/have him going in later etc, depending on the issues.

Book a meeting before the end of term so you’re ready with a plan for next academic year and the school can see that you’re trying.

Aside from that, have you thought he could be autistic. Lots of school refusal is linked to it. Anxiety and hyper focusing are common with it. Does he have any other difficulties/traits? I could be way off but I’d be considering it in your shoes.

It's funny you should mention that, as he does have a lot of traits linked to both autism and ADHD. I've done lots of research over the past couple of years and also work with SEN children. He does seem very much on the border though which has caused me to change my mind back and forth about going for a referral. I actually did nake an appointment with the doctor to discuss it a couple of years ago but had to cancel because i couldn't get off work. I never made another appointment. I have been told that I need school support otherwise the doctor won't entertain a referral and that there has to be evidence from school. So I'm assuming I would need to arrange a meeting with SENDCO first and push for an IEP?

81% is pretty poor, can you arrange to meet with the school?

Who would I need to arrange the meeting with? Pastoral regarding his anxiety, SENDCO regarding my concerns that he may be neurodiverse, or someone else regarding his attendance on general? I might just contact the school and ask who I need to see.

How old is he? If he is primary the. I would ask to meet the SENDCo to ask for him to be referred for assessment.

You need to meet with the SENCO and discuss all of this. He could be neurodiverse and I don't say this often. I work with ND kids and low attendance and anxiety are big markers. School should support him and work towards a solution