Recently my son was told he couldn't attend the Christmas celebration at his school because he did not have 98% attendance. His attendance dropped when he was sent home one Tuesday, after the school said that he was too ill to be in. My son has asthma - it means when he gets poorly he needs to be at home.

It was heartbreaking to see my son being penalised due to a medical condition that he has no control over. I tried to appeal to the school but they wouldn't change the rule. They had proof he was poorly but still didn't let him celebrate.

My son is not the only child this has happened to. There have been other cases of this happening in other schools in our city and across the country.

I'm calling for the Secretary of State for Education Justine Greening to support my petition and be a voice for our children by writing to schools asking them not to penalise children absent because of illnesses or other reasons that are beyond their control. It’s important that schools do not encourage children to be at school with coughs and colds - to protect those with low immunity.

It’s not ok to have our children come home crying because they can’t go to attendance celebrations/trips because their attendance is not good enough.

Please sign this petition and stand up for children.