Lindsey Hester

                   Debate- School attendance, should there be one?

·         Going to school regularly is important to your child’s future. Children who miss school a lot can fall behind with their work and do less well on exams

·         Having a school attendance policy is just not what I think should be in schools, I think that some children skip school because they are either being bullied, their housing or care arrangements aren’t the best, they may not have transport to and from school, or their parents may not work or have money to have their child go to school.

·         The law says that all children of compulsory school age (five to 15) must receive a full-time education. For some parents this means registering their child at a school. Once your child is registered at a school, you are legally responsible for making sure they attend regularly. If the child fails to do so, you risk getting a penalty notice or being prosecuted.

·         I think that some teachers should be lenient to a child if there is a death in the family or a bad car accident or something, I don’t think that the child should have to suffer failing a class because of the school attendance rule, If I was the teacher I would only make the child make up something that counts for their grade the most, like a test.

·         You can prevent your child from skipping school by making sure they understand the importance of good attendance, take interest in their education, ask about school work and encourage them to get involved in school, I think If parents take those drastic measures then maybe in the future we wont need an attendance policy, I think it’s a harsh rule and shouldn’t be so tough on students.

·         Your child’s school is the first place to go to discuss any attendance problems. The school should try to agree to improve your child’s attendance. I have researched that 1200 schools are currently using Parent Support Advisers  to work with parents to improve children’s behavior and attendance.