A SCHOOL has apologised after a letter sent to parents suggested that they could segregate ill pupils in a bid to keep attendance figures high.

Some parents of Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School were left outraged last week after receiving the letter which was sent following "unprecedented outbreaks of flu and sickness" at the school.

The letter stated: "Attendance of our students was an area of concern at our Ofsted inspection last year.

"When improvement is measured in fractions of a per cent, every absence causes us a concern...

"If your child is absent from school for more than two days, then we would urge you to seek medical attention. However, if they are able to get out of bed, then we would rather they were in school.

"If you have concerns, please discuss this with your child’s learning mentor as there may be an option to work in the learning hub, which is a quieter environment."

In response to the parent's complaint a spokesperson from the Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School said: “Following last year’s Ofsted inspection, Bishop of Hereford’s Bluecoat School is working in partnership with parents and carers to ensure excellent attendance.

"We have seen an increase of 0.4 per cent attendance compared to the first term of 2016/17, which shows that parents/carers and students are also supporting this aim.

“However, Bishop’s school has recently experienced unprecedented outbreaks of flu and sickness which has had a significant impact on the attendance of both students and staff.

"We recently sent a letter to all parents and carers praising students for their excellent attendance in the autumn term, and to reinforce our attendance expectations.

"We always trust in parent/carer discretion when deciding whether a child is fit to return to school, and we apologise that our letter did not communicate this effectively.

"If parents and carers are in doubt as to whether their child is ready to return to school following flu or diarrhoea and vomiting, we advise them to discuss with our staff in confidence.”