Boy Hit By Car Banned From School Movie For Poor Attendance

A five-year-old boy who was forced to take time off school after being hit by a car has been banned from an end of term cinema trip - because of his poor attendance.

Ozzie May spent nine days in hospital and recovering at home after he was knocked down by a car in September.

But his recovery saw his attendance drop below the 96 percent threshold for pupils to attend an after-school screening of Inside Out.

And while his school have said they sympathise with Ozzie’s situation, they are adamant that no exceptions will be made.

Ozzie’s mum, Faye, 50 said: ‘He is only five and he looks at it like he has been naughty and he is being punished.

‘I have been trying to explain to him not to feel like it was his fault that he got run over.

‘He has a horrific scar on his hand now.

‘He has been through hell and then for them to say that he can’t go and watch a movie is a little bit unfair.’

The mother of three has now reported the school to Ofsted.

She said: ‘I am so upset and furious about it. This is the first real issue I have had with the school.

‘I have an older son go through the school and have never taken them out on day trips or holidays.

‘There is a lot of uproar at the school about it as well. I spoke to Ofsted and they admitted that they were trying to crack down on attendance, but not in this way.’

In a statement, Leah Goulding, head teacher of Sutton at Hone Primary School, said: ‘We introduced an incentive scheme to improve pupils’ attendance, which was previously below an acceptable level and put us in the bottom 10 per cent in the country.

‘The policy was introduced after assistance and advice from several other head teachers and is generally working well.

'This is a very unfortunate situation and I do feel sorry for Ozzie.

'However, it is not practical to start making exceptions. We suspect it would result in appeals from other parents all putting a case why the school should excuse their children’s absences.

'There will be similar treats for pupils with good attendance at the end of the spring and summer terms, and I sincerely hope that Ozzie will be able to attend those events.’