Son's end of term report - sense check please

[vernon]

[QUOTE 1132660"]
There's a 6-year-old in our school with a brain tumour. He comes in when he's feeling well enough to.

There are also several children whose parents don't care whether they go to school or not, so their attendance is pretty erratic, and it's outside of their control.

These kids sit in assembly and watch others being given certificates for attendance.
[/quote]

The certificates are given as a reward for full attendance.

It's not a cruel activity and the poor attenders are not being punished.

It's all to easy to get caught up in the "everyone's a winner' ethos.

What about the non-footballers, for arguments sake, watching the first XI collect their medals?

Should those with poor co-ordination, heath issues or having parents who won't ferry them to matches feel aggrieved?

Not everyone can be a winner at school.

I was quite happy to drift downwards from the top at high school in the academic and athletic/sporting stakes - I spotted from year nine that there's less/no pressure on those that come fourth and fifth whereas maintaining a podium position involved more effort/homework, training and external pressures.

 

[summerdays]

Perhaps it might make the other children aspire to get it the following year?

In secondary school in the past (they didn't seem to do it this year) - they have given a postcard and points reward to pupils who have 100% attendance for a term - which I think is more achievable for the average child.

Recently my eldest asked permission to skive one day - because she didn't want to do the activities they had arranged for that day - I was impressed that she asked but she was told no and she did go to school. Children need to know that they shouldn't just take a sickie cos they don't fancy the stuff that is on that day or they are feeling lazy - it will set them up for their working life in the future hopefully.

 

[Hilldodger]

But then I was the organised sort of child who had all my illnesses in the holidays. And my holidays.

I bet you didn't even have a detention, did you?

 

[darkstar]

The OP seems to know exactly why their child received a poor attendance but still wants to seek justification? 80% is fine imo at that age so long as enough is done at home (which is highly likely) but that sort of attendance is pretty awful if it's later on in years. i remember having 92% one years and it being pretty poor.

 

[mark barker]

One thing worth considering is the effect that having time off has on the rest of the class. Many activities done in primary school are group activities, and having a group member "disappear" half way through the activity makes it harder for everyone. Whilst it goes without saying that illness can't be avoided, I've always thought that holidaying during term time is unacceptable.

 

[magnatom]

 

[redddraggon]

Attendance has been 82%. Absence down to illness and holiday.

82% is poor. School kids get plenty of time off, so there's no need to take them out of school. It might be more expensive in the school holidays, but then that's tough titties.

To miss 1/5 days is bad. Ultimately it's not the kid's fault, so you should be apologising to him, for getting him such a report.

 

[ChrisKH]

82% is poor. School kids get plenty of time off, so there's no need to take them out of school. It might be more expensive in the school holidays, but then that's tough titties.

To miss 1/5 days is bad. Ultimately it's not the kid's fault, so you should be apologising to him, for getting him such a report.

Actually it's not it's highly inequitable. I'm not a fan of travel companies and schools with a rigid attendance policy which means parents, effectively, subsidise those people who take their holidays in term time. I have long been a proponent of schools deciding their own term times and holidays so as to completely mess up the travel companies pricing structures.

Back to the original post, it's really a question of whether you want to play the system or not. There is an element of personal choice in taking a child out of school in term time. Whoever said there is no harm in taking a child under the age of 11 out of school to go on holiday clearly isn't doing it for the benefit of the child. I have begrudged taking holidays during the school holiday periods in the past (mainly because it's so difficult to fit it around work) but it has been beneficial to my two children for them to have a high attendance record. Even the seven year old, is seeing the benefit whereas his friend from school who was taken out of school so his mother could visit her 'sick' mother in Peru, is now finding it hard to keep up in class. Sure kids can catch up in later years, but why make it hard for them?

 

[summerdays]

I was reading this and then realised what that white letter kids where clutching coming out of school that my son forgot to mention........ so I've opened the letter and he got.... 97.32! Authorised:1.34, Unauthorised: 0.67

So I think that was 2 days off sick, and one snow day ... when I felt sorry for him given the amount of snow and the fact his elder siblings had the day off due to the snow. (Also the previous year when I sent him in expecting him to be allowed out to play in it - he hadn't not even at lunch and break, so I wasn't sending him in to be kept indoors all day - of course this year they did let them out to play in it).

 

[2Loose]

Good for you all.
As a recent parent we have been cursing the prices of holidaying in the school summer holidays.
300quid in term time, 600 quid a whole 7 days earlier in her school holidays, no wonder parents take them out of school for a break.
However, her long term future schooling is far more important than me saving a couple of hundred quid (hmmph!

)

I can understand that the reception year of 'big school' is not that academically important, but nonetheless her development is hugely important.

The 20 percent is significant to the school attendance figures, which their funding and future monitoring is decided from. So, no harm to your child, but it does reflect in a negative way for the school and in this era of cuts, that is not a good thing for future pupils and staff, no matter if you managed to get agreement from the school in regard to your child's well being.

The report is purely reflective of the attendance figures and from what you say, it is not an issue this year. The report will not affect subsequent school years so no harm done.
Go for a half term break next year to somewhere hot to save money!

 

[Crackle]

I can't say I even look at my kids attendance record, I couldn't tell you what it is or what it's ever been. I can tell you how well they are doing or how happy they are or what problems there are but as attendance doesn't figure in any of those things for them, it's irrelevant. If they're sick they are off, if a holiday overruns by a day or there's some special occasion they need to miss a couple of days for, so be it, that's pretty rare though. There's an Aunt's golden wedding anniversary next October where they will miss the Friday and Monday but as it's in Germany and they both do German, it should be good for them. They know they can't miss school for any arbitrary reason and potential shirking gets stamped on quickly, nor do we take them out for holidays on school time, previous excepted. Who cares what the attendance figures say.

 

[MacB]

Actually it's not it's highly inequitable. I'm not a fan of travel companies and schools with a rigid attendance policy which means parents, effectively, subsidise those people who take their holidays in term time. I have long been a proponent of schools deciding their own term times and holidays so as to completely mess up the travel companies pricing structures.

Variable school holidays would be a help but, if I'm honest, I'm just not a fan of holidays. The travel companies need to hope that people never wake up to the fact that holidays often fail to deliver what they promise.

 

[Blackandblue]

Some interesting replies. Thanks. Taking him out of school during term time was something we considered carefully and ultimately, we decided it wouldn't do him much harm at that stage in his schooling - bearing in mind he seemed to be doing very well otherwise, works hard at home (and enjoys it), and we would work with him even on holiday (he pesters us with his reading, counting and writing/spelling as it happens). We have also now enrolled him on a Kumon course (which seems pretty intensive - for a 5 year old). But I must confess I hadn't truly accepted the impact it would have on the school. It was definitely a one-off and we won't be doing it again unless there are extraneous circumstances.

I also now accept that 82% attendance isn't something that can be described as good. Even if it were "average", I would now say, with the benefit of the posts on this thread, that a school should not describe attendance as average. if it's not good, then it's poor (or even worse than poor where appropriate).

I'm not aware the school gives out certificates for good attendance and I personally think that's an inappropriate "reward". There are better ways for the school to ensure good attendance and the focus must surely be on the parents, not the children.