Bloody school absence process....does the Equality Act not apply??!

[Toodependants]

School have contacted me because child1 has had 9 days off sick this academic year. Not acceptable; she will be put on report (whatever that mean) and I will be fined/imprisoned etc

I have contacted them for the gazillionth time to tell them that her absence is due to very heavy, very painful periods. She is on Mefenamic Acid AND Tranexamic Acid for the pain and for the bleeding. It's the same drugs that I was on for endometriosis and adenomyosis and I was covered by disability law at work. Absence due to this was not counted as sickness. Doesn't that apply to kids??? Any legal people know the answer?? I'm so fed up with having this bloody conversation with them. It's like ground hog day

(And for those that haven’t come across it before, there are credible studies that link hormonal contraception to poor mental health: www.bmj.com/content/363/bmj.k4576/rr-1 not everyone that takes a medication will experience the same side effects, of course)

GPs are supposed to provide medical evidence , failing that they can refer the child to a Specialist.

I'm sort of open mouthed that there are several posters derailing your thread with their clamouring demands that you put your pubescent daughter on the pill OP.

Especially given that she is already using medication to help manage her symptoms as required and you are looking to optimise this so that it is as effective as possible. Clearly this is completely different to a medicine like the pill which has to be taken constantly. The side effects caused by the different types of drugs are completely different too

The school is behaving appallingly. I think you are completely justified in getting angry at this point. They shouldn't be harassing you about this and they should also provide the promised card so that she can use the loo if she needs to!

GPs are supposed to provide medical evidence , failing that they can refer the child to a Specialist

@roisinagusniamh

Actually GPs aren't contracted to write reports unless formally requested and paid for. Little point in referring if the parent won't accept treatment as in this case.

Many many people go on the pill with no side effects at all, and if the periods are as bad as they sound, I'd be doing anything to make that better for my daughter. If it affects her MH, they stop. But surely it's worth a try?

I had dianette from 16 for my awful skin and tbh any negative effect from them was totally drowned out by the utter relief of not having acne so badly.

I took Dianette at 22, also for acne. After 3 weeks I had a sudden onset migraine so bad my BF rang 999 as it looked like I'd had a stroke. Obviously I came straight off the pill. I'm now 38, & I'm still getting the migraines. Sometimes 5 or 6 a month. I can't work, or drive, I can't even shower unless my DH is home. I drop things, need lists for everything as my memory is shocking, and I have lost part of my vision.

I really don't understand why people keep pushing the OP to get her DD on the pill. A lot of women are fine on it, sure. But a lot of women aren't, in a variety of ways.

I do agree with PPs who say that the school is failing the OP's DD. I would definitely make /take a complaint to the next level.

Blimey do you drug pushers have shares in the pharmaceutical companies or what? What is with the harassment of the OP to put her daughter on the pill? It's very weird.

I would not want my daughter on hormones at such a young age either. With my own history of depression there's no way I'd want to risk it. Some of the latest research is pretty damning. Just because you are fine doesn't mean we all are.

I think she genuinely believed that; because UK doesn't collect relevant data. In other European countries strong correlation between the pill and suicidal ideation, the pill and medication for depression/anxiety. It's hard to do research ....you can't give a control group a placebo, can you?! 😁

Not really what the thread is about but it doesn't work like this. Data is pooled, countries don’t have their own side effect databases. Leaflets in medicine packets list exactly the same side effects, it does not vary by country. So it is not that the UK doesn't look at this and others do.

This pooling of data allows the regulators to state eg for microgynon that:
The most commonly reported adverse reactions with Microgynon 30 are nausea, abdominal pain, increased weight, headache, depressed mood, altered mood, breast pain, breast tenderness. They occur in ≥1% of users.

Sorry, am saying that it is not correct to say the UK is not looking at this, but supporting you in agreeing that psychatric disorders are a known side effect.

I wish your daughter well.

Employment law would not cover a school child as they're not employed

What you say they're contacting you - did they phone for a check in on how she is doing and if you've made any progress?
Are they sending letters inviting you to meetings?
Have they formally warned you that you're at risk of legal action (as in in writing)?

Little point in referring if the parent won't accept treatment as in this case.

She isn't refusing treatment.

She doesn't need to go on the pill, amending the timing of her existing medication (which works well, just not quickly enough) may well suffice.

Send them a letter from your solicitor. O that will be more effective than a GP note.

"Send them a letter from your solicitor. O that will be more effective than a GP note."

Don't do this, medical evidence is required. As myself and others have said it needs to be a GP letter.

Jesus, some of the stories on here are HORRIFIC. Of bad periods and pill side effects.
to those posters and any that I have missed out, Bovril iboop eurochick

the greyhound I don't know if it is a pandemic, but there are WAY too many women with mental health issues. Again, NHS don't collect the data. I am trying to find the poster who said that there aren't national boundaries to medical data. I am really interested to hear why NHS don't acknowledge the evidence from other countries on this issue

Betty and Chrissy thanks for sharing your experiences, and for the links; I shall have a look at that, if it comes to it

To answer some other questions; male head. No, they weren't phoning out of concern. It was the standard (I presume) letter giving % attendance and threat of referral to LEA for fine/court action. With the added bit about child being put on report for 2 weeks. I can't find any mention of 'on report' on their website/in any policies. Certainly when I was at school, it was punishment for bad behaviour
You had a report card which had to be signed by teachers at the end of each lesson, then showed to tutor each day. I've asked them to clarify the purpose and the process of 'being on report'. If the child is unaware and it is just to monitor attendance, how does it differ from the normal registration process? I didn't get a reply. So, I will decide what to do when I have received that reply. PARTICULARLY as the deputy head was waiting for confirmation from HoY over whether DD could have the medical card. I have said that I need to know whether she will be allowed to go to the toilet when she needs to, or not. We are going to have a problem, if they say she can't go to toilet in lesson time

I have had an email in reply, and hopefully it is now resolved. They are contacting the GP for 'medical evidence' to keep on file. This is required. Might be an idea if the DoE informed the NHS of this requirement, really.

As I thought, She is then covered by the Equality Act. Which enables, no further progression of attendance procdure; as it is considered a 'reasonable adjustment' for disability.

Her attendance has been 89.5% in year 8 and currently has 87% in year 9. I still think this level of effort and threatening court action for this level of absence is unreasonable and disproportionate. What about, just people who are sickly. I know people who take more sickness than that just because they catch every virus there is. Not their fault. I am happy that we all seem to have strong immune systems and don't tend to get 'sick' outside of disabilities

I’m glad it’s all getting resolved. Hopefully this stage will soon pass for your DD and her periods will be more manageable.

Just read whole thread and glad to read your positive update. Hope the school contacts GP asap, gets the evidence and that's all straightforward and you can forget about it.

They sound really disorganised and slow. The threat to put her on report made me really cross . It's like the decisions are made by robots!

Under 90% attendance will drop her an average of a grade per subject.

That's the norm. So far this year there have been circa 130 teaching days, so she has missed 15 days of school? That is a lot of time off, is she able to catch up the work effectively?

The decisions are made by process set out by SS and others re: school attendance.

Honestly, it's just a process.

She has missed 9 days. 7 of those were period related. 2 due to a virus

I'm glad to see the school has seen sense.

OP, I thought you were due a positive story. I was similar to your DD, although from the sound of it not as bad. I was put on the pill at about 12 and too scared to come off it - I was told to double up so I'd get fewer periods and I utterly dreaded them coming. It got bigger and bigger in my head.

Anyway, 15 ish years on I was told I had to come off because of my medication. I realised I hadn't had just my body's hormones since I was 12. And they were light! I'm not claiming fun, and not entirely regular, but they did, over the years, settle down. Id put the improvement down to the pill but it was my body too. Hopefully your daughter will find the same and in the mean time get things sorted hot with school and meds. Good luck!