Letter I took to my son’s school
Dear Education Welfare Officer,
Many thanks for your letter dated 22nd May 2014 which I only received today, regarding James’ attendance at school. I note that his absence was 95.45% and that he had one full days absence from school on Wednesday 7th May 2014 during the half term which brought it below your 96% target. I would like this letter put in his file attached to a copy of the letter sent to me.
My son was absent on that Wednesday because he vomited in class on the Tuesday afternoon and was sent home at 2:50pm. I was told that because of school rules that he was not allowed to return until the Thursday or 24hrs after the last bout of sickness which I adhered to. This was the ONLY absence during this half term. Might I add that this sickness was most likely connected to the head injury he sustained during the lunch time period when he was in the Academy’s care.
I note that in your letter you state: “Any attendance below 96% will be closely monitored and we may need to contact you again.” Please can I request that you only contact me via letter so that I have in all instances paper evidence of our contact regarding this matter.
You also state: “Regular attendance is a legal requirement and essential if pupils are to make the best use of their time at school. It enables them to keep up with the work and also maintain contact with their friends. Poor attendance creates the problem that having missed lessons they find it harder to understand subsequent work.” I’d like to point out the hypocrisy of the school at this point. If regular attendance is so critical then why was my child’s class not a priority to find cover for when their was a teachers strike last term? If my child’s education is so important to the academy, why has there been a long term TA absence due to sickness that is rarely covered and when it is it is always someone different or a trainee teacher placement at best. If my sons education is so important to you then why is his teacher attending so many meetings to assist other schools, often leaving the class one down in numbers. There was a day when my child’s class was led by 2 TA’s and although while they are well skilled in their areas of working they should never be used as a replacement for a teacher who has had years of training. The Reception year staff I have noticed throughout the year work their socks off to engage such a diverse group of pupils and meet theirs and their families needs whether it be educationally or culturally and appear to have very little support when it comes to the classroom. Despite the lack of support the staff have worked tirelessly to maintain excellent standards of care and learning.
If the education of my son and all the other children in your Academy are a priority of yours then I respectfully request you put your own house in order BEFORE laying the issue on my doorstep. Maybe if Greenwood Dale Foundation Trust stopped using our children as marketing commodities to build a tidy profit and used their money to negate staffing issues such as absences and strikes, or even God forbid pay the teaching staff what they are worth so that they won’t have to strike (that’s all teaching staff not just teachers) then maybe just maybe our children’s education would be a damn sight better and one day of absence wouldn’t worry you so much.
Yours sincerely,
Ms Sarah Tomkins,
(Parent)
