A Devon primary school has issued an apology to parents after they were all emailed in ‘error’ a letter stating it would only authorise health related pupil absences if provided with medical evidence.
Oldway Primary School in Paignton told parents the changes were being implemented to reduce its ‘high’ school absences rate. The letter was emailed this Tuesday, January 7, and sparked a huge angry backlash from parents.
A second email was then sent to parents the following day, January 8, explaining that a ‘clerical error’ had resulted in the letter being sent as a mass email, instead of to just one parent, and assurances were given that no changes were being made to its absence policy.
Riviera Education Trust, which runs the school, has told DevonLive it ‘deeply regrets’ the concerns the incident has caused. It added measures have been implemented to ensure it does not happen again.
The initial letter sent to parents, headed ‘medical evidence’, said: “Due to the high number of absences within our school, we will now not be authorising any further absences without medical evidence.”
It added it would accept the following as evidence:
- A copy of the prescription relating to the illness
- An appointment letter
- Sight of any medication that has been prescribed
- Confirmation of an E-consult being requested
A copy of the letter was shared on Tuesday by an angry parent on community Facebook page Spotted Paignton.
The post read: “This is becoming an absolute joke now. My child is getting sickness bugs quite a lot but I have never contacted the doctor for it as not much you can do except wait for it to pass. I have to contact the GP for everything now.”
It instantly sparked concerns about adding to ever growing workload pressure on GPs, difficulties in getting GP appointments, poorly children infecting other children at school by not being authorised to be off and whether it was legal under Department for Education guidance. The changes were condemned as being “ludicrous” and “ridiculous”.
The trust has issued a press statement on behalf of the school to DevonLive explaining how the email ‘error’ was identified and resolved.
It said: “Oldway Primary School would like to address concerns following a clerical error that resulted in an incorrect letter being sent to all parents on Tuesday, January 7. We sincerely apologise for any distress or confusion caused and want to reassure parents that our approach to pupil attendance remains unchanged.
“We recognise the importance of clear and accurate communication, and we deeply regret that this incident has caused concern among our school community.”
It added: “The school identified the error after the school day had ended and issued a letter of apology the following morning to clarify the situation and address any concerns.”
The situation is said to have arisen due to two ‘seperate errors’ – an incorrect attachment and a new system error.
The statement said: “An old, draft version of an absence letter—no longer in use—was mistakenly attached, which does not align with our established policy. This outdated document has since been permanently removed from our systems.”
Relating to the second ‘mass distribution’ error, it said: “Due to an issue with our newly implemented Management Information System, a letter intended for one parent was inadvertently sent to all parents.”
It has been confirmed the ‘outdated letter’ has been removed from its records and staff are receiving comprehensive training on the new system to avoid future administrative errors.
Providing additional reassurance for parents, the trust said: “It is, and has always been, our policy to only request medical evidence in a very small number of cases where there are significant concerns about a child’s attendance and engagement. This approach follows Department for Education guidance and helps us work collaboratively with families to support each child’s education.
“We want to emphasise that it is neither practical nor appropriate to request medical evidence for every instance of absence, and this has never been the school’s policy.”
It added: “Once again, we offer our unreserved apologies for this error and thank you for your understanding and continued support.”
The latest data published by the Department for Education, has listed schools in Torbay, Plymouth and Cornwall as having had rates of persistent absence – meaning pupils attend fewer than 90 per cent of classes – of about 23 per cent in autumn 2023 and spring 2024, putting them among the highest in England, according to Ofsted.