School coming to home to view sick child - Normal?

Hi I have to read the full thread but ay my children's school they have a policy that on day four of an absence the education welfare teacher pays a visit. She is quite friendly and only there for a few minutes

“Pupils being off on a Friday is very much a thing now”

Yes I read that with more parents working from home this was now becoming a thing .

It’s obviously a well resourced primary school if they can pay a teacher to do 4 home visits and their travel expenses. Op spoke to the teacher when she called so not a class based teacher.

Haven't teachers got enough to do?

Well you'd think. That's what the unions keep banging on about :/

It's a Thursday.

And so what if their parents have taken them off on a long weekend? They're not the school's property.

Your poor son, I'm sorry this happened to you.

Sounds like a nosey teacher, and a complaint should be made ASAP

I have never heard of this.

I would not have asked my sick child to come to the door.

Haven't teachers got enough to do?

Pupils being off on a Friday is very much a thing now

Just to add to this, (I've not read all replies but have seen school rang to explain) schools are currently under increasing government pressure about attendance. Lots of schools are having to make their attendance policies more firm and show that they are taking action.
The government seem to think this is needed after covid and the work from home culture. Unfortunately schools are having to monitor this without extra resources.

Apologies. The " yes" was in response to someone asking if teachers were qualified in safeguarding.

Schools/college have attendance officers . Ours manage the phone line in mornings and presumably deal with lateness and anything else attendance related .
Different in primary a friend does it but moves around 4 schools , she doesn’t teach and is in contact with social services, police ect .

Anxiety? She posted that she wasn't happy school called round out the blue to inspect her child who is off with chicken pox. If you read the majority of replied most people would not be pleased having to get a child up who is ill to "show" to the teacher. What has anxiety got to do with anything? I'm not anxious but would wonder why on earth school won't accept my explanation given when I phoned, it's like they don't believe you, this would get anyone's backs up.

I’m horrified that this is school policy. Overstepping, intrusive and not necessary. As if teachers have time for this shit?!

The school may well have had another incident and so are particularly hot on this

but why not say something then when asking to see the child then ? Details of incident ,names don't have to be given .

So you would be happy about a complete stranger turning up at your door, with no prior notice, demanding to see your sick child?

That's not safe either!!

there might be a reason why the school has this policy that none of us know about.
What would the reason be for not telling the parents at the school of the policy ?

Much as it may feel like it, this isn't a judgement on you.
The school may well have had another incident and so are particularly hot on this.

You could try looking at it the other way. While it's annoying, it's two minutes out of your day. If they do these checks for others it could stop a child being abused
Absence to allow bruises and other injuries to heal is unfortunately common.

I'd wonder if there is a reason the school are very on this at the moment (unconnected to you)

When I was a school governor I remember on school visits seeing staff going out soon after registers had been collated to check on pupils who hadn't arrived in school. See it as a positive that school are on it when it comes to safeguarding.

There was a girl in DS's Primary school who was forever being late in school, because her DM was in a drugged stupor and didn't get up in time to walk her to school An arrangement was then put in place that another specified parent would collect her on their way to school. Meant she got there in time and school didn't have to chase and invariably have to go and get her

Sorry quoted wrong post

In a morning when you are making snap decision whether child ok to stay home alone, perhaps putting puked on sheets in washing machine, ringing grandma to see if she can come over later and stressing about the essential work meeting remembering a policy that was in bumpf in yr 7 and telling child wouldn’t be forefront of my mind. I personally wouldn’t want them
opening door to someone they didn’t know.

Yes

they are fully in their right to make unannounced visits . I suppose there's no law preventing school staff from knocking at doors whenever they want to .But is there a law saying you've got to answer the door ?

What strikes me though ,as others have said - if you're laying eyes on a child to determine whether they are off school because they are genuinely sick - how will you know if there are no physical signs like a rash/plaster cast ?
If you're doing it because of other (safeguarding ? )issues ,what will confirming that a child is physically present tell you ?

We had this years ago, also when my son was 5 with chicken pox, they came with a present and some worksheets. I did wonder if it was to check we weren't on holiday as it was the week before the easter break.

If you have nothing to hide why worry. But if the school being so observant saves one child from an abusive or neglectful homelife I don't see what the issue is.

I witnessed a parent who'd dropped an older child off and was trying to hand a GP letter for younger child in being argued with by school staff that the child was well enough to be in school till parents started ringing GP.

I've known parents of children with both rare and not rare long term conditions have school get difficult when under attendance pressure with illnesses which affect them more frequently and worse and even hospital or therapy appointments.

I'd assume most people doing home would be sensible but with children who perhaps don't look ill and have a more hidden condition I'd worry it would make it even harder for those parents.

Persistent lateness can be an indicator of a safeguarding issue and one of the things schools are told to look out for. A member of staff, at my previous school, did have to visit homes of pupils who had poor attendance and punctuality stats.