Pupils with ‘poor sick records’ at two schools were left sobbing as they watched other pupils and teachers eat free ice creams

TWO schools left devastated students sobbing when they refused to give them ice creams because of their 'bad' attendance.

The schoolkids had to watch on while their classmates with better attendance enjoyed their treats in front of them.

Both Hasting Hill Academy, in Sunderland, and Blackmoor Park Infant School, in Liverpool, rewarded pupils with above 96 per cent attendance to a dessert from a visiting ice cream van.

Students who had been sick or forced to miss school, however, missed out on the tasty treats.

At Blackmoor Park Infant School, some children who had been off sick were left sobbing at the distressing incident on Friday.

A furious mother alleged that a teacher told a child: "You’re not getting one as you didn’t get enough attendance with being off with chicken pox."

Another called the singling out of pupils an "absolute disgrace".

Similarly, at Hasting Hill Academy, a father hit out at the school for the "cruel" scheme.

Graham Robson, 45, said: "One little girl came out and her mam told me she was crying all the way home."

"I know the school needs to reward good attendance, but they could give the children a certificate or prize in assembly."

He said his son's attendance was below the mark because he'd been hospitalised himself with kidney problems.

Regardless, his 7 year-old was among the other primary-aged children who were deprived of an ice cream.

In a letter to parents and carers, M. Greenway, the Chair of Governor at Blackmoor Park Infant School, expressed their regret in how they dealt with the situation.

She wrote: "We fully acknowledge that there was a lack of sensitivity in the sharing of these rewards on Friday and for that the school fully apologises for the distress caused."

Less apologetically, Jane Walton, the headteacher at Hasting Hill Acdemy, said: "Hasting Hill Academy is sorry that this particular approach has been perceived in a negative way."

The 96+ per cent attendance target falls in line with targets set by the Department of Education that are required to be judged as at least "good" in a school inspection.

In a June 2018 Ofsted Inspection report, poor attendance was identified as one of Hasting Hill Academy's areas for improvement.

As a result, the ice cream reward scheme is one of the many "varied strategies to improve pupil attendance".

Blackmoor Park Infant School also fell short of the mark.

In the past academic year, almost 20 per cent of the entire school were classified as "persistent absentees" with below 90 per cent attendance.

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