I've Heard Them All Now.......

[treetops68]

http://talktalk.parentdish.co.uk/2014/06/09/school-attendance-cat-poo-outside-the-door-made-kids-miss-class/?ncid=ttg_parenting_mod

[sandyRoe]

That's up there with, 'the dog ate my homework', as an excuse.

[Buenchico]

I'm trying to remember some of the things parents told me. The following come to mind at the moment:

a) we are going on holiday next week and she needs three days off this week to pack ;
b) her favourite band were playing a concert in London, so she HAD to have the whole day off to travel there and she was obviously far too tired to go to school the next day ;
c) it was his/her birthday ;
d) it was MY birthday ;
e) there was too much snow for him to get to school (from the parent of a child who lived directly opposite the school, despite the fact that pupils and staff living miles away all got in with no problems and the snow was no more than an inch deep anyway) ;
f) I let him take Fridays off because you never do much on Fridays, do you? ;
g) I'm disabled and I needed him to do the shopping (for a series of full days off from school) ;
h) my wife's left me so my daughter can't come to school any more 'cos she has to stay home to look after the baby ;
i) he/she missed the school bus (serving the village less than a mile away from the school and within 15 minutes easy walk) ;
j) she and her friends needed to practise their dancing for a competition ;
k) he had a hangover ;
l) he had to go to the dentist at 9am for a check-up, so there wasn't much point in him going in for the rest of the day, was there? ;
m) his Sunday League football team have arranged their tour in school time, so the whole squad will be off school for a week but it's OK because I'm ALLOWED to take my kids out of school for a holiday (from a parent who also took his son out of school for THREE two-week holidays in that same school year!) ;
n) he had a cold (to explain many WEEKS of continuous absence) ;
o) I take sickies from work, so I can't see why my son can't take sickies from school ;
p) what you've written on my sons report is a total lie! It says he's had over 100 half-days off school this year and I NEVER let him wag half-days; I only ever allow him to wag FULL days!

[Svejk]

are you sure they^ were the pupils, chris?
Sound more like the teachers. ;-)

[ummmm]

I love my children but I don't understand why a parent would keep them home for no reason. Are they just too lazy to get up in the morning?

[douglas9401]

Boccaccio had harsh words for Beresford, telling him: "You should try getting up earlier and make sure to get your daughters to school rather than give these apologies... Your daughters' education is important."

Harsh words? Our reporter needs to get out more.

[woofgang]

My sister and I were only discussing this the other day. She lives in the midlands and I live in the south. We have both noticed that if you go to the local town on any weekday, you see more school age children, most of them with parent and adults, than could be accounted for by doctor/dentist or similar appointments.

[ummmm]

This is exactly why my sons school agreed for him to have a week off. 100% attendance for 2 years solid. The boy would rather go in ill than take a day off.

I wake him at 6:30 every morning. He has two paper rounds and then walks two miles to school.

That is completely lazy parenting in the OP. No excuse...

[Tilly2]

They should bring back the School Board man.or a modern day equivalent

[ummmm]

The wag woman...

[Svejk]

mutch-man?

[anneasquith]

'' the cat'' may have been a tiger,,,,,,,,,,,,,,would you leave your bedroom ?