Government cracking down on school non-attenders. What happens in practice.

If money and resources are infinite, then for a school to have a policy that for example, any child absent more than 5 days in a term will get a visit from someone from the school, then that is fine, the policy is clear and no one will be bothered

But money and resources are limited and I just think that in those circumstance, it is best to concentrate them on the families. where absence from school is known to be associated with difficult family problems and where children are known to be falling behind in their work.

A school attendance officer's job, is to get children back to school, not check whether a child is being abused in any way, so there is no guaraantee that if they did visit a child not attending school they would pick up any abuse taking place unless it was blindingly obvious - a child covered in bruises, for example.

Schools are responding to the DfE demands - their current advertising campaign is sickening. My child had 94.7% attendance (equalled two days off sick) and so couldn’t be entered into the draw to win an attendance prize as it wasn’t the required 95%. I contacted school a few weeks ago as I fear EBSA will rear its head - and I’ve not even had an acknowledgment, despite the fact that that really would put their attendance figures in a poor light.

Once trust is lost, it is difficult and takes a long while to restore the school-parent partnership.

But how is this child supposed to feel now?

It depends how his parents handle it together with the school.

welbeck

i don't know.
there are various ways of looking at it.
a sick child, genuinely sick, may be being abused or neglected.
if no official person has seen that child, how do they know.
i realise that there will be some situations that are higher risk than others, but i feel there is some logical gap in some of the reasoning put forward above.

The gap is funding I think, welbeck.

An EWO working in a school would be aware of the circumstances, which pupils are genuinely off sick and which need to be followed up with further action. They would know the pupils and be able to discuss the situation with the Head Teacher or Head of Year.

That is not within the remit of School Attendance Officers as I understand it.

Our Labour County Council intends to cut school budgets in the coming financial year, along with other essential services for vulnerable people. At the same time they will be putting up Council tax presumably to spend on what my teacher/school governor friend used to call vanity projects.

I have other things on my mind, but this thread is not helping.

What this is, is injustice. I am tempted to say, and worse.

Safeguarding is about protecting the vulnerable.
But how is this child supposed to feel now?
My guess is he is now frightened.
He is a poorly young person. Which medical people are more than aware of.
How is being frightened[if he is], supposed to help him?
So much for his personal safeguarding and welfare.

i don't know.
there are various ways of looking at it.
a sick child, genuinely sick, may be being abused or neglected.
if no official person has seen that child, how do they know.
i realise that there will be some situations that are higher risk than others, but i feel there is some logical gap in some of the reasoning put forward above.

I still think it is appalling and I would be tempted to slam the door in their faces. Stalinist. A phone call and meeting with the school so much better.The public just accepts things like that but they shouldn’t. It is wrong. Same applies to those stupid school inspectors who loom up from time to time. How dare they ? Teachers need to get together and strike against these unqualified people questioning their competence.

We have the opposite problem, no school for the children to go to. The roof came off the school in storm after Christmas, so the children have been having on line classes since then, with the occasional day in the Church in the last two weeks. The DofE were asked for funding for a new building three years ago, but this was refused. This is a senior school. I suspect it will not be the last 50s/60s built school to fall apart. Time for Gov. to priotise its own shortcomings. Schools are aware which children need checking up on. A heavy handed approach is not necessary for genuine cases of sickness, where schools are fully aware of a situation.

There shouldn’t be a grey area with safeguarding though. It’s what it is for

between parents who have been doing their utmost, and those parents who do not.

And no distinction is to be made. Well.
I am out of here.

Of course it is.

But when parents have done their utmost with a school, and it still isnt enough?

There is nothing more I can say.

Safeguarding children is everything

eazybee

Diddynan, I second your opinion.

Thank you eazybee.

fancy that
Safeguarding is crucial for all children.

I have been on this site for one year.
I am finding this thread the most incredulous of them all, personally.

That some cannot see the difference between parents who have been doing their utmost, and those parents who do not.

Or perhaps some can see, but still think both groups should be treated in exactly the same way.

This actually makes me so angry, I grew up in the 80's and 90's and missed most of secondary schooling and my parents were never told. I skived repeatedly. Some days I didn't even bother getting a mark, some days I climbed on the 4th storey roof and tormented teachers through the skylight. Occasionally I just ran errands for the teachers so they could say I was doing something, yes I charged them and yes that involved runs to the local bookies buying cigarettes etc. I remember my mum going to a parents evening and even been told I was doing great by a teacher I'd never even met.
My DS is 11 and has a number of health issues. Syncopy being one of them and I try to send him to school as much as I possibly can. Their rules however are beyond stupid. Part of his condition means he sometimes wretches and is sick due to nausea. Its not contagious so no reason to miss school he just needs to sit down and ride it out let his blood pressure get back to normal then he can carry on. Instead they push him to the max until he does feel unwell then sends him home when he is sick instead of doing what he doctor advises. He has had a few bugs over the last few months and ended up with tonsillitis doctor advised he was well enough to go so I sent him. They sent him back. Then they question his attendance. I haven't yet had anyone at the door but I have already got to the end of my tether about my child getting sent home or whether I'm being scrutinised for him being genuinely ill. So I've made my mind you that as soon as that happens as my son has already expressed a wish to be home tutored if they do turn up at the door that is my next step. They then have no right to even talk to me. I have the ability to teach him and will do until he starts secondary if they do the same I'll take him out permanently, I'm not having my son's attendance overriding his happiness and ability to learn just so schools can tick boxes.

This used to be routine in the past. But parents had respect for teachers and authority. I'm not saying it's the right way but school have to check ... honestly who knows someone whose little darlings have birthdays off school. Shopping days? Family holidays ? my grandad used to tell me that the "school man " would turn up take you to school in your pj's. I was scared to death if I was poorly in case they fetched me .

According to Think Teaching, the average salary for a School Attendance Officer is about £21,938.
I'm guessing that's access data on a computer to see who's been off in the last week, downloading addresses and getting in the car. That the word Welfare has been taken out of the job title speaks volumes.
Btw I haven't seen an EWO in school since the 1990s.

Yes, we do understand M0nica

Would you have been happy, though, if your DGS's medical diagnosis had been shared with someone at County Hall without permission?

I agree that there should be better liaison between the school and Education Authority and this might not be the best way for increasingly poor school attendance to be dealt with but, as I understand it, a report of attendance below a certain percentage might well trigger alarm bells and a visit.

There needs to be better communication between school, parents and the LA .

More hyperbole, MOnica.

Just to say that for employment law, a fit note is required for an absence of more than 7 days or longer. School should be unable to ask for fit notes for a lesser period of time.

It has been fascinating to see how some on this thread have tried to justify this egregious misuse of authority.

They seem to fall into two groups, those who are not prepared to accept that the family had been in close contact with the school for some time, that the school were in the loop from the start. Several of DGS's sudden collapses and several faints had occurred during the school day, so the school had had to deal with them. So they knew they were not fake in any way.

He is in Year 9 with a very good attendance record until he became ill and they had copies of all the relevant medical reports. The school also spoke to the parents regularly

The other group seem to think that those following up absences, should treat every absentee the same, and visit every one regardless, whether all the problems or the cause of absence are known or whether there are reasons for concern or not.

Given the pressure the government is placing on schools to reduce absentee rates and the lack of resources available for the job, you would think resources would be focussed on the families where their efforts would be most likely to produce results.

But perhaps I am being naive. I have always worked in industry and commerce, never in education. In business you concentrate your efforts on the sectors of your business that show the best opportunity for a good return.

I would think in current circumstances schools would need to do the same, or perhaps the equality agenda means that the parents of a child terminally ill in hospital must be chased for non-attendance with the same assiduity as that of the children of a parent that cannot be bothered to get up in time to send their children to school.

To those who understood where I was coming from, thank you.

Diddynan, I second your opinion.

In the 1950’s I was in hospital with rheumatic fever for over a year. Mum had regular visits from the school board man.

Been speaking with someone today, where one bit of the NHS doesnt speak to another bit.

BT is also known for that.

Grrr