School won’t authorise absence for illness

[G172125]

Looking for some advice. My Daughter is off school with chicken pox and will probably be off for most of the week. The school are requesting medical evidence before they will authorise the absence. I have sent a photo of my child showing her spots but they said I needed to go to a chemist and get them to give me some calamine lotion with her name and a date on it. I’ve been to three chemists and they have all said they don’t provide proof and are fed up of schools sending parents to them. They said it would be going against nhs advice to put calamine lotion on chicken pox and they won’t print a label for me to stick on the bottle if I buy some. Her Gp won’t provide a sick note or appointment. Her attendance is at 97%. She was sent home in September and also just before half term with a sickness bug both were marked as unauthorised even though she was sent home from school vomiting. Who can I complain to about this? She is only on day two of chicken pox so will definitely be off most of the week and I want to avoid getting a fine that I can’t afford at the minute.

That's awful. For one thing they are giving dreadful medical advice as calamine is now known to make chickenpox worse (not worse as in the severity of it but in terms of the managment of the spots).

The school cannot fine you, they would have to go to the council and there is a procedure. The process varies depending on the local authority but there is a process and you would be able to show that the absences were genuine.

I’d take her in person to show the head teacher

Can you write to the school governors? This is ridiculous. How can she be marked down as unauthorised when they sent her home!

This is insane. Surely there are other cases in the school? When DD had it half of her class were off. Can you ask the head teacher to call you to discuss?

I’d drive her to the school, get them to come out to look at her.
Their attitude is absolutely ridiculous.

This sounds absolutely ridiculous and a total waste of resources. Can you ask your GP practice to bring it up at the local medical committee service and come up with plan, i.e them having to provide evidence is not sustainable and a waste of resources and cascade this around the local schools?

Otherwise reach out to the regulated - oftsted ? Ask them what to suggest or your local MP. It’s completely unreasonable to ask this. And legally when you are employed you can self-certify for a week. Why should school be different ?

More broadly, it sounds like them have a truency issue and parents have historically not been on board so in some way it’s to protect some vulnerable children. But it’s not sustainable to cater for the minority by overloading systems that are already saturated.

If you really want a quick solution though…… ask for paracetamol through pharmacy first. That will have her name on it!

Find the statutory guidance on this. It’s explicitly stated that schools should not routinely ask for evidence, they should only do it if they have a specific concern about a particular instance of absence. And even then, they should be flexible in the type of evidence provided

Hmmm this is very odd behaviour from a school for a child who has currently has 97% attendance.

I would write to the chair of governors and cc in the head teacher. They clearly need to sort out their absence policy or give better training to whoever in the school office deals with sickness absence records.

I’d just laugh at them and tell them they are no where near qualified to give medical advice.

Bless their cotton socks. They must so under worked they need to look for busy work.

Found it for you - I’d just quote this to them
”Schools are not expected to routinely request that parents provide medical
evidence to support illness absences. Schools should only request reasonable medical
evidence in cases where they need clarification to accurately record absence in the
attendance register – i.e. making a decision that code I is the absence code that
accurately describes the reason the pupil is not in school for the session in question. In the
majority of cases a parent’s notification that their child is too ill to attend school will be that
evidence and can be accepted without question or concern. Only where the school has
genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the illness should medical
evidence be requested to support the absence.
366. Where medical evidence is deemed necessary, schools should not be rigid about
the form of evidence requested and should speak to the family about what evidence is
available. Schools should be mindful that requesting additional medical evidence
unnecessarily places pressure on health professionals, their staff and their appointment
system, particularly if the illness is one that does not require treatment by a health
professional. Where a parent cannot provide evidence in the form requested but can
provide other evidence, schools should take this into account. Where a parent cannot
provide any written evidence the school should have a conversation with the parent and
pupil, if appropriate, which may in itself serve as the necessary evidence to record the
absence.”

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Workingtogethertoimproveschoolattendance-August2024.pdf

That’s ridiculous, just concentrate on your child. It really doesn’t matter if she has an unauthorised absence anyway, this won’t go anywhere if they try and fine you.
Complaint wise it would be school governors and/or council

We had an attendance officer at my child's primary who was a nightmare for this sort of thing. I would honestly invite them round to visit to see it with their own eyes. I mean a rash could be anything but chicken pox is easily identified.

It’s really strange how schools differ, I live in a completely different part of the country to my sister and we were comparing school rules.

Her daughter has to wear completely black shoes to school and proper school uniform, even down to sock colour but at my daughter’s school they can wear what they like including Nike trainers of any colour.
Uniform can be black or grey trousers/skirts/leggings
and PE kit is any shorts or leggings T-shirt or any jumper or hoodie and trainers but most of the time they don’t even bother getting changed.

Her daughter has strict rules about packed lunch, no sausage rolls or pastries, no chocolate or crisps. My daughters school wouldn’t have a clue what was in their lunch boxes and couldn’t care less.

Her daughter is marked down as late if she’s late, my daughters school don’t bat an eye lid and I pass loads of kids wandering into school on my way home.

Her daughter’s school need evidence of sickness yet I have never been questioned about a sickness. We just leave a message saying daughter won’t be in today because she is unwell and they log it as authorised.

I just can’t believe the contrast in schools, I think it is a regional thing.

Can you send NHS guidance for chickenpox into the head teacher? That’s ridiculous as it’s easily spread and dangerous to people on chemo etc if they catch it.

Just send her in with chickenpox, say the gp can't provide evidence and chemist.. Also say that they shouldn't be providing medical advice (calamine lotion) which is not recommended.
When she inevitably gets sent home.. Ring the school and tell receptionist she's been sent home do I still need evidence otherwise I will bring her back in.
Watch them squirm.

Keep her off school until she is well and make it clear to the head teacher that she will be absent because of chicken pox and that you will be taking advice about her care from appropriately qualified medical practitioners. End of.

No need to catch anyone out, watch anyone squirm, enter endless dialogue or invite someone over over to see her spots. Just be clear, confident and authoritative.

I’m awaiting a phone call back from the head teacher. They have sent a message saying 10 unauthorised sessions in 10 weeks will result in a fine given. She has never had an issue with her attendance she got 100% in most of her years at primary. This is her first year at secondary school. It’s a catholic academy school so I’m not sure if they have their own rules and guidelines

That's mental. My DS2 had two weeks off as I refused to send him back until his spots had scabbed over properly.
DS 1 has a couple of scars where school uniform knocked the tops off his scabs before they were properly healed.
No fines, no threats. Half of his class were off over a four week period as it spread through the class.

This is madness, I don't need to provide a sicknote for work unless I go over 7 days. For the first time ever I got the flu in january, and I'd got to day 5 and was still very unwell (first time I have ever had an illness that has kept me off work longer than a day or 2), I rang my gps and said how does it work with a sick note and the gp said we don't issue a note unless over 7 days. I've no idea how you are meant to produce a note for a child on day 1?

These silly rules will just result in children who are unwell attending school leading to more absences. If you look up chicken pox public health advice is to keep children off until their spots have crusted and they are well enough to attend. A gp isn't going to see you with chickenpox when there is a waiting room full of elderly people/pregnant women who are particularly vulnerable to it. There's no clinical need to see a child with chickenpox besides! Your school is wasting resources and creating unnecessary stress.

I'd actually raise this issue beyond the chair of governors, and contact your local authority, I'd also consider contacting the local public health team if the school is suggesting you send children with active infection into school.

Put in a complaint about the poor medical advice.

Could they be requesting evidence due to the proximity of half term?

My niece had chicken pox the week before and the school requested evidence as they said she could be taking her out for a long holiday. They did accept a photo of her spots as proof though.

Are you able to retrospectively challenge the absences where the school sent her home? Surely its not up to you to provide evidence when they have deemed her not fit to be there

Please if she's up to it set a example frog march her into office with chicken pox and say OK she is here highly infectious but hey ho see what they do

I'd be kicking up merry hell over this with whatever supervisory bodies there are (governors, LEA). Do let us know what your conversation with the head idiot goes like.