Parents are furious after receiving council leaflets urging them to ‘get a grip’ because their child missed as little as three days of school.
The fliers are part of a controversial new campaign by East Sussex County Council to boost attendance levels and improve attainment.
The ‘Get a Grip’ initiative tells parents there are ‘no good reasons’ for missing school and that children sick with colds and headaches should be forced out of bed and into class.
The ‘Get a Grip’ initiative tells parents there are ‘no good reasons’ for missing school and that children sick with colds and headaches should be forced out of bed and into class
It also provides tips about ‘being more organised’ the night before school, advising parents to ‘set the alarm’ and think ahead about what to feed their offspring for breakfast.
The council said the campaign was necessary because even ’95 per cent attendance is not good enough’ and can impact on a child’s achievement.
But families labelled the ‘Get a Grip’ initiative ‘aggressive, condescending and insulting’ and a petition calling for it to be withdrawn has now attracted nearly 6,000 signatures.
Ella Lewis, a mother from Seaford who set up the petition, said: ‘Of course we don’t want our children to miss the curriculum, and of course we don’t want teachers wasting their time catching children up instead of teaching the class, but there is nothing we can do about it.
‘The decision to take time off work to look after ill children is not one that is taken willingly or lightly.’
She said campaign leaflets were distributed to all parents at her school whose children had missed three or more days over a half term.
The fliers are part of a controversial new campaign by East Sussex County Council to boost attendance levels and improve attainment
She added families feel alienated by the ‘frankly offensive’ campaign, especially those ‘struggling with serious illnesses, traumas and ongoing disabilities and conditions’.
‘The vast majority of parents who received this leaflet have not kept children off school for the spurious reasons listed on the leaflet,’ she added.
‘All it takes is a nasty winter bug or stomach infection…
‘We do not expect to be blindly attacked and undermined by our County Council, and were shocked by your approach in this instance.
‘We request that you withdraw this campaign and apologise for the insulting treatment of and attitude towards parents.’
The campaign features the slogan, ‘good reasons for missing school – there are none’ and warns parents about fines for unauthorised absences.
Families labelled the ‘Get a Grip’ initiative ‘aggressive, condescending and insulting’ and a petition calling for it to be withdrawn has now attracted nearly 6,000 signatures
It also gives tips on how to reduce tiredness in children, such as: ‘Try turning off electronic devices two hours before bedtime’.
It adds: ‘Your child is still able to go to school when they feel tired. School will send them home if they can’t manage.’
A government crackdown launched by Michael Gove in 2013 banned families taking their children out of school for holidays
An East Sussex County Council spokesman said: ‘We appreciate this campaign has been controversial in some quarters but we won’t flinch from addressing this extremely serious issue. School attendance levels in East Sussex are simply not good enough.
‘The campaign we have been running is not aimed at parents of children who have genuine medical reasons for being absent and we understand it is not always possible to make appointments for essential medical appointments outside of school hours.
‘Instead the campaign is intended to address concerns over high levels of school absence in the county resulting from, for example, the odd day’s sickness absence taken here and there or taking holidays in term time.’
The council said that even one day off school has an impact on a child’s education and that of their peers, because the teacher then has to spend time helping them catch up.
It comes after a government crackdown launched by former education secretary Michael Gove in 2013 which banned families taking their children out of school for holidays.
This ban was reinforced in the Supreme Court earlier this year when Isle of Wight father Jon Platt lost his bid to overturn a fine for taking his daughter out of school for a trip to the US.
Parents taking their child out of school without authorisation face a £60 fine and court action if this is not paid.