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.

fuck that, I would march up to reception with child in tow and tell them “there’s your evidence.”
Put a complaint in to the board of governors.

I'd phone the education department at the council. Insane!

Can’t the pharmacy give you a signed and dated letter saying they are refusing to administer calamine lotion for chicken pox for xyz reasons? Then it’ll become apparent that your DD does indeed have chicken pox. You could write it for the pharmacist, print it off and take it in for signing. (Appreciate I have a local pharmacist who knows me well and would do such a thing, the big ones with high staff turnover might not.)

You shouldn’t have to though! Since when did parents lose the autonomy to declare their child is not well enough to attend school?

Take this opportunity to talk to the Headteacher as a good thing. Ask if they want you to send your (infectious) child into school? Presumably they have procedures in place to protect vulnerable pupils and staff (including pregnant)? While they're on the phone I would also challenge your DD's previous absences being recorded as unauthorised when she was sent home from school, vomiting.

I'd let them take me to court for non-payment of that fine.

First of all I would email the head, the governors and you MP.

The school are marking the register incorrectly (this is illegal)
The 2 times she was sent home with a stomach bug. The school sent her home. If this wasn't for medical reasons then why did they need to justify why they sent her home?
Medical reasons must be authorised / coded medical
If other reasons they must have compelled paperwork (with your involvement) to this effect otherwise it is an illegal suspension

This absence is Chicken pox. Known to be medical illness and also an illness where the person should stay off work / school until no longer contagious even if they are not feeling ill. If they are ill they can remain off until feeling better. Therefore, this is an authorized absence coded medical

If the school suspects you are lying it is up to them to get proof. In the absence of proof it should be assumed that the parent is telling the truth.

Some schools are unbelievable - it is awful for schools to put families under so much stress

They probably could, but why would they? It's reasonable of them not to be willing to piss away time and resources that could be spent on something useful. And they have no incentive to do something that might actually entrench this behaviour. After all, if they give OP a letter, school will then know there's a pharmacist willing to entertain this stupidity.

Whatever happened to parents having control over decisions relating to their own children!?

It is beyond belief that schools are asking for this sort of proof - I really can't get my head around this at all. Frankly it is wholly unacceptable!

Speak to the governors. They are insisting that you cart your sick child to a GP and waste her/his time. Round here your child would be fit and back at school by the time you got an appointment anyway! Or cart her to school to infect everyone else!

Talk about a police state!

It all comes down to OfSted and their emphasis on pupil attendance and schools risking being downgraded if it is not high enough. It is a total disgrace.

Since loads of parents started lying about this stuff to take advantage of cheaper holidays outside school holidays

I think some of the mock outraged people on this thread don't realise just how common it is for people to fib that their child is sick.

The plans labour have with the schools and wellbeing bill and stripping rights from disabled people it is a real concern that the state is aiming to take control

Who ever would have expected labour to be trashing rights and protectiona

Call the LA attendance team and speak to them. We had similar once and it took the LA team who actually issue the fines after a school referral to say they weren’t following the correct procedure

Ask them for a copy of the school guidelines regarding illness. Ask them who you can raise a complaint with about their ridiculous rules not meeting government guidelines, Governors, Ofsted etc.

Turn the writing request back on them and ask them to confirm in writing that they are insisting that DD attends with chicken pox, and to confirm that they are fully aware of the risks that it poses to pregnant women and people with weak immune systems.

DD's school insisted on a GP letter about her panic attacks, so that she could remove her tie briefly without getting into trouble (she liked to loosen it when she felt she couldn't breathe....). They even offered to pay the cost of the letter, they wanted it that badly.

There’s no point in contacting the local authority if the school is an academy. The academy makes their own rules and I suspect that’s what’s happening here.

I would quote the statutory guidance, say you recognise the academy has different rules but that it’s unworkable in practice. Then I’d send a strongly worded email to governors and head of academy chain. I’d also tell the Head of school that if they fine you for absence due to illness you will be challenging it. It also might be worth mentioning that they are not qualified to give medical advice (get some calamine lotion with name on…🙄) and they’re on dodgy ground with that, especially as it contravenes the advice from the pharmacist. It’s outrageous behaviour and an absolute nuisance for GPs and pharmacists too, who presumably have to have this conversation daily with parents from this school!

And I don't think you realize how awful it is being treated like this by schools when your child is unwell, when GP and pharmacies can not provide the evidence the school sya it needs because school have no right to this evidence in the first place and Gp/pharmacy don't have time nor is it part of their role to provide it.

One school harassed us when our child was in hospital recovering from surgery - wanting them back in school asap. They were aware of the situation but wanted the hospital to allow child back to school earlier than was normal as they could look after child in school during recovery.

My experience but I know of many families going through this.
Some schools have completely lost the plot

Tell them they are entirely welcome to send someone round to check, provided of course they are willing to accept liability if that person gets chicken pox or shingles as a result.

The school are being ridiculous and totally unreasonable. Gather the evidence and raise this with the school, the policy does sound too rigid and unworkable.

Hope your DD doesn't feel too rough

@G172125 As she's a little older - be careful of the scabs. DO NOT use calamine lotion.

Buy a couple of tubs of bicarbonate of soda and get her to lie in a bath with it - trust me it works! (make sure it disolves first, obvs)

Can you get the GP to issue a note without seeing her? I had it for the 2nd time at 15 (and it was awful) and my mum dragged me to the GP - he told me he'd had it 3 times!!

I hope she feels better soon - paracetomol to keep her temp down, and IIRC she might have a splitting headache. 💐

I'd email the headteacher as follows:

Dear Mr/Ms Stickler,

I was interested to hear that sickness absence for my daughter with chicken pox will not be authorised, unless I get a treatment that the NHS warns should not be used. You will appreciate that as a responsible parent, I will treat my child in accordance with medical advice, rather than against it.

As the absence isn't authorised, I can only assume you wish her to be in school, so I'll be sending her in to school tomorrow morning as usual.

The spots haven't scabbed yet, but I know you'll agree with me that it's better for the rest of the children in school to catch it sooner rather than later, so it's a win all round.

Yours sincerely,

OP

Then watch them back-track....

Name the school if you feel you are able, OP.

OMG - Genius!🤯

I don't think my kids secondary school ever gave authorised absences. My kids never had any authorised atleast. We never had any consequences. I don't remember them ever asking for proof either, must have been because they always intended to mark it unauthorised... I've never known what the difference is to care about it. Just put it down to the receptionist not being a full shilling, as it seems yours is too, to give such silly advice.

"Ok well I'll bring her in and send a message to the class Whatsapp group warning them that their child may come down with CP and why. I shall leave it to you to explain to them why their children were put at risk. Or you could just authorize the absence and not put other children in you care at risk".

Agree.

A photo is evidence though. Or even have a Teams or Zoom call so you know it is current and not a historic one.

They are being ludicrous. Attendance rules nowadays are insane. Take it to the board of governors, the local authority, the DofE. I awould actually go so far as to contact the local news and social media.

or

Offer to send her into school so she can spread to all the other kids.