Absent without notification to school - what's the norm?

[maybenormal]

Hello

I have concerns about they process my DC's school uses to tell parents if a child has not come to school and parents haven't notified school to expect this, but I don't know if my expectations are unrealistic given the size of secondary schools so wondering what other schools do.

If your child doesn't attend registration and the school has no record that they've been notified child is sick etc, will your school contact the parent, how quickly will the school contact the parent, how (eg email/phone) will the school contact the parent, and who will the school contact (eg primary contact on file, all contacts on file or specifically the mother)?

Background is that twice in the last six months I've been contacted because my DC wasn't in registration when school thought they should be. The school didn't tell me until 3h after registration ended, told me by an email that was not specific and did not indicate urgency, only emailed me and not the other emergency contacts on file, and (deliberately) chose to email me as mother rather than DH who is the primary contact on file.

Does this sound normal? Maybe even good and many schools wouldn't notify at all? Or am I right to be concerned about the process?

[Note both cases were errors on the school's part, but that's not my concern.]

Thanks!

Schools have to tell parents when a child is not at school and parent hasn't informed them why. To my knowledge, most schools let parents know by text, but an email alert isn't unreasonable. It would usually go to the primary contact. I think 3 hours is quite a long time. You could look at the attendance policy for the school to see if it is mentioned on there. If not, ask the school what their policy is and tell them to contact the primary contact in future.

I've been contacted twice by school to say my child isn't in and no notification. Both times they have been in school. They absolutely need to make sure the register is correct before starting to call parents. Took me about half an hour each time to resolve (first one was awful - just moved, 6 year old put on school bus, and got called to say he wasn't there).
Basically, school can't win. They either get a load of fase notifications sent out, or there is a delay. What is the lesser of 2 evils?

I mean at secondary when it is very common for children to make their own way to school, the lesser of two evils is surely very clearly to send notifications earlier and risk incorrect notifications! I had a complete panic when they incorrectly told me my DC wasn't in school - that panic was that they'd been lying in a ditch somewhere for three hours and no one had been looking for them. If they'd told me within the hour, I'd obviously still worry but at least if it was a real issue there would be more chance of finding my child quickly.

Same goes for primary if on a school bus. Young children have died being left on school buses on hot days.

In primary in a situation with secure gates, where children are dropped off at the gate by a parent, then I can understand waiting as the chances of the child not wandering around the school somewhere is pretty low. Even then though, surely we're talking waiting 30 minutes and hour to check obvious places they might be, not three hours!

Just to be clear, I'm not saying don't delay by 30 minutes to check they're not hiding in the toilets but I really doubt secondary schools are running around checking the toilets and school grounds to see whether kids who have missed registration are actually there (unless for some reason the child is flagged as high risk). In your bus example, if they knew the child came by bus, I'd have wanted them to check with the bus company before me if they know the child comes by bus (finding the child has to be the priority). At secondary, the school doesn't know how kids get to school!

@maybenormal there must be a school policy on what they do if a child hasn't turned up for school. Have you found it and read it? Are they adhering to their own policy?

I'd definitely start with finding and reading that policy that before attempting to query it.

I've just searched - there's one line in the absence policy and focus is entirely on ensuring children attend rather than safeguarding. They're not following it because it says they will telephone. Time is meant to be 'after' 9.50 (school starts at 9) if the school hasn't been notified of the absence so technically they could call in a week and be complying.

I doubt anyone at the school realizes this is the policy but good one to bring up!

Well actually by emailing me and me then calling, they have had a notice from me about the absence, so they are technically complying. If I don't respond to the email, they have an infinite amount of time before they actually need to pick up the phone.

Don't think that's what they intended by the language though.

Put an AirTag on your child.

You want me to put an air tag on a secondary aged kid? Why would I do that - if I wanted to track them 24/7 I'd use their phone!

But then what, check my phone every hour to see their location? Or check every morning to see they're in school? What if the PE teacher takes then to the local park for their first lesson - should I call school and ask why my child isn't there?

I don't want to have tracking on my kids, I consider it a breach of their privacy and they haven't done anything to suggest they need to be tracked for their own safety. In not that many years they won't even be living at home and they and I need to learn how to manage situations where I don't know where they are. I appreciate some people do want to track their kids but I don't.

This issue not to do with me knowing where my child is every second of the day. My question was whether I was expecting too much of school to notify me reasonably quickly if my child didn't turn up for registration. If the answer had been 'you're expecting too much' then I'd get my child to message me when they get to school but that is easy for them to forget.

"I see this as something for the mother" sounds like maybe a v new and untrained staff member, so worth flagging! I have done attendance in secondary.

She's not new but I completely agree it's a training point and she's just clueless. I don't believe current SLT have set the process up so that it's the mother (it could be an old system though and be a legacy issue). Problem is that last time I accepted the 'i completely agree, will talk to the absence team' but clearly no one has actually provided any training (or not so that this person can understand it).

The first time the same absence person told me 'oh it's probably because your DC is in xx activity so don't worry' but didn't see the need to actually check that DC was actually there.... It's all a mess!

Oh my goodness - we absolutely ARE running around checking toilets!!!

If a secondary child isn't in registration and the parent hasn't notified the school, you go actively looking for them?

I'm impressed. Pretty sure my school doesn't or in the first instance they would never have emailed me as she was exactly where she was meant to be, and any of her friends would have told the absence team that she was at the activity.

@maybenormal well, they're not following their own policy then. I think calling the parents about an hour after registration finishes is normal, if the child appears to be absent without explanation. Not 3 hours.

I would very politely talk to the school again.

Just a thought - some schools register in each lesson. Does yours do this? If a child is somehow missed at start of day they should be picked up in registration for the second lesson.