School absence rules are super powering the spread of flu

They should be getting the free vaccine that they are all offered to prevent it.

Children should not be kept at home if they have mild symptoms such as a cold in case it’s a mild dose of flu. If you are susceptible to flu you should stay at home. Kids took the hit with school closures during Covid and look where that got us.

DS has been off for 8 school days with this flu which has developed into a horrible chest and sinus infection. On the 6th day his school asked for evidence of a GP appointment or a notice of prescribed medication. Fortunately I’d dragged him to the GP last week as he has asthma too and at this point he’d been taking nurofen daily to deal with his fever etc. He was back at the GP this Monday where the infections were confirmed. I sent all the evidence to school and whilst they would like him to attend asap there’s not a lot they can do because he’s seen the GP and now has prescribed medication and new inhalers. However I think it’s really daft to make a child who doesn’t have the additional Illness and has flu, to visit a doctors surgery. Most doctors wouldn’t see them unless there’s something more. I did think to myself in a sick way we are fortunate that he has this otherwise we’d be now facing unauthorised absence and pressure.

School attendance is none of my business. I'll decide when my child isn't well enough for school. What can they do about it? No ones going to come round and force them into school!

Flu vaccines are very much about preventing serious illness rather than stopping spread. It's job is to keep you out of hospital, not necessarily to stop you getting a mild case of flu.

Good grief, I hope you're suing the head for that injury ?

No, people living their normal lives powers the spread of any virus, flu included. We know the way to stop the spread of a virus, it's lockdown. And we know that's not worth the cost for flu.

Where's your evidence for this? How do you know it's not -

• parents who work and cant take emergency time off easily, or for other reasons send their visibly ill kids into school even when they should be off
• children who have the flu but seem fine, or parents think it's just a cold

It’s 70% for children though

‘Flu can be asymptomatic or mild. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as contagious if anyone who caught it was immediately confined to bed.

However obviously mild flu symptoms are probably not enough to keep a child off school, so it will always spread even with parents with the best intentions.’

Asymptomatic cases are normally associated with a lower viral load and far less viral shedding. Keeping sick children home still makes sense.

I really wish people would stop spouting the nonsense that if it was flu they wouldn't be able to get out of bed. It is not the case for everyone. Some people will have very mild symptoms and others will be floored.

Flu can be asymptomatic or mild. It wouldn’t be anywhere near as contagious if anyone who caught it was immediately confined to bed.

However obviously mild flu symptoms are probably not enough to keep a child off school, so it will always spread even with parents with the best intentions.

Yet again education needed about what flu is. Its a virus, and like any virus, some people will be asymptomatic and some will be hit very badly and then all variations inbetween

That sniffle that you had last week, could have been flu.

No kid is going to school with real flu. They wouldn’t be able to get out of bed.

A cold (even a heavy one) is nothing like flu.

Exactly this!

DS at secondary, had 3 days off with a nasty cold one week (as did most of his friendship group) and then the following week had a day off with a stress related migraine. The stress related migraine was caused by school telling him he was dropping “down a group” in the sweepstake because he’d had more than 2 days off this term. So please tell me how that helped??
I had a letter from his previous school stating he had had too many days off. 7 in an entire year. 6 of them were school mandated appointments for mental health/CAHMS assessments, BEAM assessments, Healios assessments and a BeeU appointment, all of which the school required us to take him too. 1 was a hospital visit; because as he arrived at the school gates on his bike, the head decided he was going too fast and put out her foot, flipping him over the handlebars and forcing the edge of the handlebars into his testicle which popped!
Quite literally there is no winning with schools and absence policies.
My husband is currently on day 5 or 6 of the cold from hell and in bed (I’m not because I’m bloody mum and I can’t possibly be as sick as him…don’t even poke that one) because my kids bought it back from school.

I think what schools try and do on a whole school level is good.

Absence does damage achievement, and schools do need to keep on top of persistent absence.

But, at a personal level it is really annoying to get a shirty letter from school when your child has been unwell.

I think that parents need to parent and send children in when well enough and keep them home when sick, and ignore stupid school correspondence. Remind yourself that you are not the intended audience.

I agree with you that the absence rules need revisiting. But that applies generally not just specifically in relation to flu

Why does this sound like a criticism of schools? Why do you not think workplaces should be able to mark flu absence as sickness?

I think it’s fine the way it is anyway.

Its true you can be up and about with flu but then thats just like having a cold or sniffle which most people just work through, kids or adults. My OH was ill yesterday but today he's fine, he might have a flu virus, or he might not, what are people supposed to do, stay at home forever?

That's utter nonsense.

If they have proper flu they won’t be in school, it leaves you exhausted.

They need to count absence but will just mark it as illness. The world doesn’t stop for colds, and trust me if you or your child get the flu, you’ll know about it. No child with flu would be able to go to school at all

What if u dont know its flu

Unfortunately the vaccine this year is only 30% effective, which is rubbish.
Add to this classrooms with no ventilation and it’s germ soup.
There ought to be hepa air purifiers in every class without an opening window.
I’m sure my Grandson’s school is faring better because they actually open windows plus the younger kids can go outside in bad weather because of covered areas.