Parents have been left outraged after they found out most of their children will miss out on a school fun day because they didn't go into class every day.

Pupils at Maypole Primary School who achieved 100% attendance throughout the year will be able to go to the fun day next week, but most of the school population will not.

In total only 29 pupils out of 420 will be able to go to the fun day, but this has caused anger for some parents of youngsters who are missing out on the event through illness or other reasons.

This means 391 pupils - or around 93% of the school - will remain in class while their peers enjoy the fun day.

Tommy Lynch, 38, of Water Mill Way, South Darenth, has two children - Lola, six, and Billy, nine, who go to the school.

He is outraged by the decision.

He said: “How can a child be punished for something that’s not in their control?

“If they’re 10 minutes late it’s classed as an absence or if I’m not well, they are punished for it.

“Punish the parents, but don’t punish the children - there’s no compassion.

“All they seem to care about is their Ofsted report.

“I’m not going to send her into school on the day to be punished for something that’s not in her control.”

"How can a child be punished for something that's not in their control." - Tommy Lynch, father of two Maypole Primary pupils

When asked about the fun day and the anger it has caused, head teacher of the school in Franklin Road, Dartford, Linda Wilmann said it was the school council who decided what rewards youngsters who get 100% attendance should get.

She added: “Attendance and punctuality are crucial in ensuring children get the most from their time at school and at Maypole Primary School we have always rewarded pupils for good attendance.

“Earlier this year, through our School Council, we asked every child in the school to vote on how they felt they and their peers should be rewarded for achieving 100% attendance.

"They voted unanimously in favour of the rewards that are now in place.

“Every two weeks, pupils who have not had any days off during that period are rewarded with what we call ‘golden time’ - a 30-minute period spent with the school dog Max.

"If a child is off school ill during one period they will have another opportunity to receive an award after the following fortnight.

“Those pupils who do not miss a single day of school from September to July will be able to take part in a fun day in the summer.

“We have always had an annual award for those pupils who achieve 100% attendance for the whole year.

“This is a massive achievement, which should be recognised.

"Just 29 pupils out of 420 will receive the reward this year so it is not the case that only a few children are missing out.

“We would like to congratulate those pupils who have achieved 100% attendance and we hope they enjoy the activities we have planned for them.”