School coming to home to view sick child - Normal?

No problem
Its better to work with the school and show you have nothing to hide, getting arsey is more likely to make them think there is an issue but I completely understand it’s not a nice thing to happen

I've never heard of it happening but your best bet would be to make an anonymous post of a local Facebook group or something to see if it is actually your schools policy. Perhaps they have had a recent safeguarding issue and have implemented this across the board.

I'm a children's nurse and I would not be impressed at an Unqualified professional attempting to make a decision about whether my child was well enough to attend school. I'm not sure the school have a legal right to do this either

No school age children anymore but certainly never heard of it. Since when did schools starts behaving like the Gestapo?.
I would be writing a strongly worded email to the school and copying in the LEA!!

Go straight to the headteacher, ask for clarification on the sickness policy at the school and the official guidance on this. Explain exactly how you felt and how distressed your child was.

Weird, intrusive and unacceptable. Complain!

I haven't heard of this happening for reported illness at the school where I'm a governor, but I know home checks take place in other circumstances. I would guess that either your reports haven't been picked up, or there's something else going on that you're not privy to, and the school are being extra cautious overall. I wouldn't worry too much about this. As a parent who's been on the wrong side of 'procedure' in the past, I know this is easier said than done.

I would be calling the Head Teacher immediately and asking for an explanation. If they have issues with your child they should be following proper procedures. If this is school policy they should tell parents that they may do this.

It wouldn't happen at my DS school. Who was teaching while the teacher took time out of the class to visit you?

I would find this outrageous, the fact that a teacher has your address to me is odd in itself. Do they just hand out your address to anyone? How intrusive and odd. I would make a complaint. Seems like they often do these tick box exercises re ridiculous policy but then often miss real cases for concern...

Since covid there is a much bigger absence problem with schools (particularly on Fridays) so the school might be being proactive. Often chicken pox affects lots of children at once so they may have lots of children away at the same time and crossed a threshold where they need to be seen to be doing something about the problem

DSL at a school.

We conduct unannounced visits rarely, usually if a child has been off for more than 10 days without explanation and our LA education welfare officer is unable to make the visit (usually it would be then).

If the school has a safeguarding concern they would normally refer it to the local authority to make any checks, so I wouldn’t worry too much OP. I’d be a bit miffed, though. You should clarify with the DSL or Head on what their policy is.

A child who has been off for four days with explanation wouldn’t normally warrant a home visit, and even one with safeguarding concerns around them, I would expect the school to refer to the LA, not turn up unannounced!

I would think that the person who came to the door should have explained exactly why they were there: eg in the event of absence when we haven't seen the child for 3 days, we have make a visit for safeguarding. Or whatever. It's weird and possibly a bit incompetent that the person didn't explain, and instead left you terrified.

kind of home where my children would be in trouble

I understand what you're trying to say OP, but there is no 'kind of home' neglect and abuse can happen in any home.

Happily though, I don't think this was a safeguarding check (in the child protection sense of the word). I think it's because you didn't call in each day and so were in breach of the absence policy, if anything it was more of a low level education welfare check rather a safeguarding check.

I've worked in Children's Services up and down the country and in various national roles and this is quite normal in some areas, especially if attendance drops below a certain level. Usually it would be a pastoral member of staff in my experience but not unheard of for it to be a teacher.

My children's high school do this now. They tried to visit my son at his dad's house as he was off sick with a horrendous cough/cold, he was with me at my house though so didn't get to see him (The school have his dad's address as the main home as it was our matrimonial home and I moved out). It is a safeguarding check. It is rather annoying seeing as I called in every day and only keep my kids off if they are really ill. I don't understand why they would want to come into contact with sick children!

I would absolutely complain to the Headteacher and Ofsted about this. Have you looked if there is any guidance anywhere about this too? I know from both kids in Primary this has never happened at our kids school (mine have very good attendance but some of my friends kids have had to take at least a week off feeling poorly and I would know from my friends if the teacher had knocked at the door-my friends would be fuming to say the least). At most, an email from the teacher to say if the child is ill but well enough to do some work, they could send some school work suggestions after a few days of being ill (but only if the child was well enough ofcourse and was staying off just not to spread infection e.g. chicken pox).

All you have to do at our school is leave a message on the answerphone. Make sure you take this further.

This is all about the school's needs OP. Their attendance figures.
I'd ask for a meeting with head for clarification and progress to governing body. Right to privacy and family life trumps her need to be seen to stemming the national tide of non attendance

@MarynotsocontraryI’ve worked in schools for over 20 years, and this is quite common if there is a concern; it could be high levels of absence, or it could be something that the sibling has said that caused concern, or there could be another reason. Ultimately, it’s for the welfare of the child.

Not all schools start at 9am. My local Junior school starts at 8.40, and the Infants at 8.50.

It's not unusual at all, especially if the school is struggling with attendance. Part of standard safeguarding procedures too. I wouldn't worry about it at all.

“I need to have eyes on him.” What the hell? I'd be shocked. This is very ODD

I would say that this is unusual. I would also be feeling strange about it.

It also sounds like you have a lot going on at work... so for the thoughts running through your head... let them come... and let them go... your son is safe, you are safe, the school reacted strangely.

There is no need to see a doctor for chicken pox. The spots turn into blisters then scabs and are infectious until the last blister has disappeared. Your son should not be at school.

FWIW - when my son was in reception, he had chicken pox during half term, he spend the nights tossing and turning and the days napping. He was a very young and small 4 year old, barely able for school and needed half term to rest, so I kept him off the next week for 3 days, told school he had chicken pox and he and I had some lovely days out with his little sister before he went back. Thank goodness no one checked up on him.

My youngest is prone to stomach illnesses, often due to food tolerance challenges and usually when we have no idea what it is that causes it. If he has thrown up, I keep him off, usually for him to perk up by 9:30. He also gets asthma and when he was younger, I was advised to keep him off as he needed frequent interventions. We have had many fun outings when he has been off school including snow shoeing, ice skating on a frozen lake (supervised and permitted not UK!), and when he had chicken pox, he was as bright as a button, so we painted his bedroom, he learned how to ride a bike. Is school (again not UK) had come to check up on him.. I would have had some explaining to do!!!

*pastoral staff or teachers

See my previous post.
We are a very boring Mc family with professional jobs and a DS at Private school.
Due to one stupid remark by DS, a Neurodiverse teacher (not an assumption the safeguarding lead told me), me being away with work (happens twice a year) and a new safeguarding lead who had only joined the school a few weeks ago and doesn’t know us DS was pulled out of PE and questioned
Its not a “type of family” it’s circumstances and patterns