Son's end of term report - sense check please

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Blackandblue

New Member
Location
London
So, my son (age 5) has brought home his end of term report. Generally all good. Attendance has been 82%. Absence down to illness and holiday. About 50:50. Holiday was in term time (obviously) and we saw the head who was relaxed about it, said they obviously don't encourage it but son No 1 was doing OK and it's only reception after all.

So, my problem is (and I accept, if this is my only problem, I should be a pretty jolly chap) why is his attendance recorded as "poor"?

80%+ attendance = poor !!!

Is that how they are going to grade other things?
 

montage

God Almighty
Location
Bethlehem
So, my son (age 5) has brought home his end of term report. Generally all good. Attendance has been 82%. Absence down to illness and holiday. About 50:50. Holiday was in term time (obviously) and we saw the head who was relaxed about it, said they obviously don't encourage it but son No 1 was doing OK and it's only reception after all.

So, my problem is (and I accept, if this is my only problem, I should be a pretty jolly chap) why is his attendance recorded as "poor"?

80%+ attendance = poor !!!

Is that how they are going to grade other things?

In reception, and most of junior school, it doesn't matter that much. Bit harsh, but if 20% of school is missed every year....that is a lot of missed education!
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
80% attendance, if I'm right, works out at a day off a week, I don't think many employers would regard that as a good record. Don't see why it shouldn't be the same at school.

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

Perhaps the head should have made clear when they were being relaxed about the holiday, that it would go down badly in the report anyway.

80% attendance sounds alright until you think of it as 20% absence...
 
OP
OP
Blackandblue

Blackandblue

New Member
Location
London
In reception, and most of junior school, it doesn't matter that much. Bit harsh, but if 20% of school is missed every year....that is a lot of missed education!

Feeling a bit sensitive this afternoon, so prone to overreaction. We did speak to his teacher before we went on holiday to ask whether we could take anything with us so that he could "keep up" with class but she no need. We do, in any event, spend a lot of time with him reading and writing at home - which he enjoys, so it's not like we're trying to be overachievers - so it just smarted a little that they view his attendance as poor.

Then again, perhaps my employers would take a similar view if I turned up 82% of the time (after holidays)......
 
OP
OP
Blackandblue

Blackandblue

New Member
Location
London
80% attendance, if I'm right, works out at a day off a week, I don't think many employers would regard that as a good record. Don't see why it shouldn't be the same at school.

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

Perhaps the head should have made clear when they were being relaxed about the holiday, that it would go down badly in the report anyway.

80% attendance sounds alright until you think of it as 20% absence...


As ever, the voice of reason...

Thanks for not biting my head off.
 

montage

God Almighty
Location
Bethlehem
At the end of the day, the report is only done to give you, the parents, a rough idea on how your child is doing. If there is something wrong with the report and you know the justifiable reason for this, then what does it matter?

That's always been my outlook on it anyway....perhaps it's just an excuse for bad reports! :biggrin:
 

Crankarm

Guru
Location
Nr Cambridge
Your kid is errr 5 .................... He won't understand and if he does he probably doesn't appreciate taking the rap because you decided to pull him out of school term time for your holidays. In the wider scheme a school report for a 5 year old who is basically happy and getting on reasonably well at school and coping with the new challenges that his life brings him is doing well. On reflection you know the real reason his attendance is low which you should have anticipated before you took him out of school in term time. Look at it this way - you have room for improvement.
 

Arch

Married to Night Train
Location
Salford, UK
At the end of the day, the report is only done to give you, the parents, a rough idea on how your child is doing. If there is something wrong with the report and you know the justifiable reason for this, then what does it matter?



Yeah, I think that's true. At this stage the 'poor' isn't going to affect him later. It sounds like he's getting the right help at home anyway.

And I really did have all nearly my illnesses in the holidays. Still do mostly... :sad: Not that I have many, just the odd cold.
 

fossyant

Ride It Like You Stole It!
Location
South Manchester
It's all very 'performance' related. Our school got knocked down a point or two in it's Ofstead for allowing kids to take time off during term...guess what, it's no longer allowed....

My son and daughter would have had 100%, although my son's not now going to get it as we've pulled him out of school for the last two weeks due to bullying.

Don't worry too much, so long as your lad is doing OK and progressing then fine. He's only 5 what do they expect........
 

Hacienda71

Mancunian in self imposed exile in leafy Cheshire
My son had poor attendance in his year end report as he was trapped in South America by the volcanic ash cloud. Not to bothered but if we were changing school then i would be a little worried that there is no explanation of this on the report cards.
 

PBancroft

Senior Member
Location
Winchester
When I was a kid my parents got a fairly stern letter about my poor attendance. That particular year it had been 100%. This is the same school that employed a teacher who managed to give me a detention for doing my homework (long story).

The point is, schools can be fairly crap.
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Schools are set attendance targets and the baseline is set at 95%. Attendance approaching 90% sees letters sent home. Below 90% sees appointments with parents being made and around 80% is the threshold of prosecution.

My school will reluctantly agree to a holiday being taken during term time if the child has otherwise full attendance. Poor attenders do not have permission granted and an unauthorised holiday is marked as an unauthorised absence.

Attendance is a performance indicator used by OFSTED and school who can not satisfactorily explain away absences might fail the inspection.

The comment on the child's report is fair. It is a reflection of the attendance not of the causes of the absences. 80% attendance is poor whether or not is is due to illness, holidays or truancies.

Irrespective of the child's age - academic performance has a proven link to attendance. Something to bear in mind for the future is that a child's summative report in year six (Key Stage Two levels) is used as the baseline for all future target setting i.e. it is used as a predictor of Key Stage Three levels and GCSE grades.

I'm not over fond of the industrialisation of the education process but it's something that parents, teachers and children have to live with.
 

Bayerd

Über Member
Schools are set attendance targets and the baseline is set at 95%. Attendance approaching 90% sees letters sent home. Below 90% sees appointments with parents being made and around 80% is the threshold of prosecution.

My school will reluctantly agree to a holiday being taken during term time if the child has otherwise full attendance. Poor attenders do not have permission granted and an unauthorised holiday is marked as an unauthorised absence.

Attendance is a performance indicator used by OFSTED and school who can not satisfactorily explain away absences might fail the inspection.

The comment on the child's report is fair. It is a reflection of the attendance not of the causes of the absences. 80% attendance is poor whether or not is is due to illness, holidays or truancies.

Irrespective of the child's age - academic performance has a proven link to attendance. Something to bear in mind for the future is that a child's summative report in year six (Key Stage Two levels) is used as the baseline for all future target setting i.e. it is used as a predictor of Key Stage Three levels and GCSE grades.

I'm not over fond of the industrialisation of the education process but it's something that parents, teachers and children have to live with.

Surely that's the school's problem, not the parents?

Linking back to the OP, at a rough guess there's about 40 weeks in a school year. Just short of 20% is nearly 8 weeks off school. Sounds poor to me.....
 

vernon

Harder than Ronnie Pickering
Location
Meanwood, Leeds
Surely that's the school's problem, not the parents?

Linking back to the OP, at a rough guess there's about 40 weeks in a school year. Just short of 20% is nearly 8 weeks off school. Sounds poor to me.....


It's not the schools' problem it's the general lack of concern amongst some parents who do little to ensure that their offspring attend school.

Schools with poor attendance are failed by OFSTED as they are reliant upon parents getting their offspring into school.

Only circumstances beyond the control of the school and its parents are accepted as legitimate excuses by OFSTED.
 
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