My children have returned back to school with a new rule in place that each child is only ‘allowed’ 5 days of sickness per school year. Any other sickness will be unauthorised leading to a fine.
Several families received letters that their children had X amount of days sickness last school year and this is their warning to not repeat it. I received one as my eldest needed an a&e visit in June which resulted in a week off school, (as well as several days through the school year for a chest infection and separate ear infection) I kept them updated and provided proof.
Apparently it doesn’t come under their invisible list of which illnesses are acceptable to have during these 5 days.
I understand that it may be to avoid children missing school as they just can’t be bothered to go in, term time holidays which have doubled recently in this school and fake illnesses so they can have a day at home, but there are children who are genuinely unwell and can’t plan ahead for this or foresee when they will be unwell, particularly in winter when there are all sorts going around.
My youngest for example has had 3 awful colds this year from nursery, enough to be floored and unable to play or eat much for a few days, so basically I would be fined for keeping my child home to recover if this was a universal rule. It’s not like I want to have time off work and lose pay, as well as lose money to the fine, so what do they think they are achieving?
This will cause a spike in children being sent to school unwell spreading illnesses and causing even more children (and even teachers and other staff) to be unwell.
Does anyone else have this rule at their school? Is it really enforceable?