A 5-year-old boy in the United Kingdom was hit by a car. Despite this harrowing ordeal, he miraculously only had to miss 9 days from school. Unfortunately, his school, the Sutton at Hone Primary School, has such a strict code of attendance that he was not allowed to go on a end of the year field trip that rewards students with good attendance. This young boy now believes he has done something wrong and is being punished. When his mother complained, she was informed that no exceptions will be made! The Head Teacher of the school stated:
This is a very unfortunate situation and I do feel sorry for Ozzie. However, it is not practical to start making exceptions. We suspect it would result in appeals from other parents all putting a case why the school should excuse their children’s absences.
It is unrealistic to expect children not to get sick or injured. Please tell the UK Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) that any student who is absent with a valid medical excuse should not be punished.
Attn: Office for Standards in Education, Children’s Services and Skills
We (the undersigned) are disheartened to learn that a 5-year-old boy who was hit by a car is being punished for not meeting attendance standards despite the fact that he only had to miss 9 days and his absence was medically necessary.
No student should be punished for missing too many days of school so long as they have a medical excuse from a physician. This sends a message of apathy to young people and leaves them feeling punished for being sick or injured.
Please adjust your policy to make medically excused absences exempt from the current standards in place.
Sincerely,
