500 signatures reached
To: Department for Education
Governments '96% project' for school attendance
A rethink of this 96% project for school attendance is URGENTLY required as it currently takes into consideration every legitamate sick day or hospital / doctor / dentist appointment that our children have. This puts pressure on parents to send their children into school when they are still ill / contagious and puts additional pressures on our already over -stretched NHS to 'confirm' every incident of illness or medical appointment.
Why is this important?
There is a 48 hour rule on contagious illness for a reason - so that the whole school isnt infected yet this new scheme penalises those parents who abide by the 48 hour rule putting the rest of the school at risk and not allowing our children to fully recover from their illnesses (reducing their immune systems and need for additional medical care in the future!)
The 96% project will also put additional pressure on the NHS for everyday illnesses to be confirmed by already over stretched doctors just so the children arent marked as 'absent'.
There needs to be a better way of targeting attendance that doesnt put a huge risk to the health of our schools and add pressure to the NHS, not to mention the cost to our schools in implementing this system.
The 96% project will also put additional pressure on the NHS for everyday illnesses to be confirmed by already over stretched doctors just so the children arent marked as 'absent'.
There needs to be a better way of targeting attendance that doesnt put a huge risk to the health of our schools and add pressure to the NHS, not to mention the cost to our schools in implementing this system.
