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.

Yes, threaten to take her down to school. I bet they tell you not to pretty sharpish.

What a lot of absolute nonsense (on their part)

Contact your local council education department, they used to be called Edication welfare but a lot are now inclusion services. Your daughters school should have a dedicated person who routinely goes in from this department to check through attendance, check registers are legal etc, they do not work for the school. The school cannot mark your child as unauthorised if they have sent her home unwell. Inform them that they are breaking the law by wrongly coding absences. Registers are legal documents and falsifying records has consequences

Don’t play silly buggers taking an infectious child to school. I would email and say that you are following NHS guidance. You have tried the pharmacist and they cannot help. You’re willing for DD to have a video call to demonstrate that she’s at home with you. You will not pay a fine issued for this absence.

Just write in and ask them if they are accusing you of lying.

And say that it is not appropriate for them to ask for medical evidence. Chicken pox of pretty obvious after all and would they like you to send her back in with it to infect them and and the kids?

They can't fine you and they are being ridiculous. Frankly, I would tell them they are being ridiculous, too.

What is wrong with these schools. How are people with no brains in jobs when so many people with brains are not? (I know we've had another thread on this!)

Don’t forget to mention that they should let anyone pregnant know, and perhaps the parents of any immunosuppressed pupils.

Unfortunately I think this is where we're headed these days. I'd video it if you do take her in as proof you were there. Utter time wasting nonsense.

From Copilot - You can complain to:

• The school headteacher (formally, in writing)
• The school’s governing body if the head doesn’t resolve it
• Your local authority’s Education Welfare/Attendance Service if the school continues to mark it unauthorised

And you should push back immediately because:

• Chickenpox does not require medical evidence under DfE rules
• Schools cannot require parents to obtain treatment or labels from pharmacies
• NHS guidance no longer recommends calamine lotion, so chemists refusing is normal
• A child with chickenpox must stay off school, so the absence is automatically authorised

Chickenpox is a standard five days minimum from the spots appearing until they’ve crusted over - the NHS and DfE websites are very clear on this. There’s no need to get it officially diagnosed as the only reason to see a gp would be for complications.

If the school wants to take on your local head of communicable diseases, let them go for it… The diocesan education board might also have a view.

We always used oatmeal baths to soothe them and an antihistamine when they were at their worst. Hope she’s feeling better soon.

Well it's up to them to prove that a parent is lying. Not for a parent to prove that they are not.

Innocent until proven guilty and all that.

Anyway so what if they won't approve the absence. It affects their figures, not the individual's. The council won't fine, they'll ask the school what the hell they are playing at.

PS since when has calamine been a bad thing?

Don't take her in, but ask them if they want you to take her in.

I'd want to know the exact issue, do they think you are not telling the truth (you are on holiday) or is chicken pox not bad enough (in their eyes) for a child to be at home?

Also if you go anywhere near a GP surgery with chicken pox they won't be impressed! My DH had it as an adult (he was still living at home at the time so goodness knows how his mother didn't recognise it) and went to the GP and they had a fit when he walked in as you can imagine!

then let them call social services! Who no doubt will give the school short shrift for being so stupid.

Let them. So what? It’s their figures it impacts. If it’s unauthorised nothing bad will happen.

No advice but this is totally batshit

They won’t call Social Services. If they did the duty Social Worker would be highly likely to professionally tell them to F-off. Their are children with below 50% attendance that we can’t get support from SS for at work.

I’d just phone every day and say I’d like it in writing that you want me to bring my daughter with chicken pox to school or you’ll fine me, I need clear evidence for the parents of the kids who catch it from her. Dd and I can come in at 3 today and meet with you otherwise.

@G172125 OK, can you contact a few of her friends and let their mums know that DD has "the pox" and is highly infectious but she'll be attending school tomorrow because they won't accept photographic evidence.

You really need a better school.
One that is less interested in pure attendance.
You need one that inspires achievement and allows for genuine illness.

Make a formal complaint via the school complaints policy on the website, follow the process and escalate it to the governors. You could also try talking to the attendance officer at the local authority.

I’ve never known a school refuse to authorise sickness - and NEVER when they themselves have sent the child home vomiting. That’s bizarre to me.

Stupid advice.

Once again for the people in the back: lack of regular attendance is a strict liability offence (Section 444 of the Education Act of 1996). The school only needs to prove that the child didn't attend.

This is why it is vitally important to challenge each unauthorised absence. If the OP decides that two or three are fine to have on the record, and then her child gets another illness, that will tip her over a threshold and then she'll be in magistrate's court playing her word vs. the school's.

Also, make sure you keep communication in writing to the school otherwise they can get out of it or at least try. Send a follow up email to confirm what they’ve said verbally and that the headteacher won’t speak with you. Also make sure to put in writing you were told to obtain calamine labelled. Given that they are dishing out, outdated medical advice I would see that as a health and safety and safeguarding concern - ofsted may be worth a call.

Can you email so you have something in writing?
Daughter has chicken pox, sores are still open and weeping so still contagious. It would be our preference to keep her off school but if you want her in, I would appreciate confirmation in writing that you're happy to take her. I will assume no reply is consent for her absence and will use this and the photos I've taken as evidence if we are fined.

I had a row with the school over this. I told them that if they wanted to come over and be my child's parent they'd be my guest. Until then they could let me get on with parenting and deciding when my child was ill.

Perhaps not calamine lotion but my pharmacy will do a prescription on minor ailments for liquid antihistamine and liquid paracetamol during chicken pox. It shouldn’t really be necessary.

Call back and ask to speak to safeguarding, tell them you’re raising a concern because you’ve been told you need do something that is against nhs advice in order to meet their policy, just be generally as awkward as possible, as they are doing. It’s hard enough looking after poorly kids now you also have to deal with this garbage

That’s ridiculous! When I had chicken pox again as a 40 years old. I was sent home from work and told I wasn’t allowed to return until spot were all dried. Because it’s dangerous for certain people!
I would take her to school if she is well in herself and leave her. After email them that you are unable to get the evidence they need.
So you are leaving her to attend class!