Poor Attendance - Withdrawal Of Funding

[anju]

hi,

 

what do you do if a child's attendance falls below say 85% (I'm talking about funded children)? do you have a standard letter you send to parents? at what point of any do you inform your finance people at the council? have they requested money back from you? anyone had an audit - how much of a grilling did you get?

 

very stressed - audit soon and lots of poor attenders I now realise. own fault for not keeping running total but want to at least show what is in place for the future.

 

have compiled a termly absence summary and a form for parents to complete when child returns giving reason for absence but only just started doing this and audit is for last term.

 

thanks in anticipation,

 

A

[Cait]

Hm, it's a tricky one. I did ask the council once and was told that as the place was allocated to that child and I hadn't filled it with another child, whom I'd charged for, and so was ok.

 

In my audit I had a child who'd been off a fair bit due to chronic illness and they didn't pick up on it as I explained. I suppose at the end of the day individual councils are going to be different.

 

Although it hasn't arisen since, it's an odd place to find yourself and I know exactly what you mean. If parents inform you they are going away for something like 2 weeks I suppose you could notify the council and offer to pay the money back, but if children miss the equivalent of 2 weeks over the term as odd days it doesn't seem so noticeable.

[Inge]

think it may depend on the circumstances, if child was regularly away same day each week with no reason given it would be highlighted, but if ill it would be an irregular pattern so I owuld expect and hope it to be take nito consideration.

 

we always insisted on a note from parents on all absences, and had a book for them to fill in if they forgot to bring one, papers built up high over a year but ti was an LEA directive so we had to do it.. I asked what were we to do with them, they said they didnt know!! I jsut kept them wiht the register for tht year, not in any order, thrown into a box so if they wanted them for audit they could sort them. to much paperwork already without that as well..

 

we were allowed up to 2 weeks holiday time otherwise we had to repay,

 

Inge

[blondie]

we had an audit a couple of years ago and although i was very nervous it went really well - the lady looked at registers - she picked up on any absence that was over quite a period of time - i explained the circumstances of this ( child had had grommets fitted and had had serious problems with them and had to go back into hospital then got another infection etc) - she was happy with that - she also used her funding details to ask to see random birth certificates and check these against funding details - she would also ask to see pattern of attendance in registers of random children. it wasnt as scary as i thought it would be and the person concerned was lovely - hope thats a help x

[Guest]

I recall a discussion a few years ago with my LA about the contract I have with parents to 'give notice' if they were leaving, or pay fees in lieu of notice, the contract also states that non attendance would have to be paid for. My point being that the NEG removed this financial safeguard from us. If a child doesn't attend and the LA take back any payments we would not be able to get the amount due from the parents.

 

I personally think that if parents don't use all the sessions through poor attendence then it should be a matter between the LA and parent, the setting shouldn't lose 'budgeted' funds because of this, especially as staff costs/rent etc stays the same. I think the LA shoul recoup any NEG funding from the parent.

 

But pigs may fly.................................

 

Peggy

[Cait]

I think the LA shoul recoup any NEG funding from the parent.

 

Peggy

 

 

I agree, but unfortunately their contract is with us, not the parents