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.

I think this is where you say bring it on.

I believe that it is local authorities that issue fines and not schools, so it is unlikely you would be fined, especially if you can provide photographic proof of vesicles. In the scenario where it ended up in court, again you provide the photos and it will be the school looking silly. Not you.

@HoppityBun we know, you're only the fifth person to mention it so far

Tell them what the chemist has said and give them an ultimatum. Either they authorise the absence or you'll send her in contagious as they are clearly telling you she should be at school if the absence cannot be authorised.

Make it clear that they will be responsible for any children who subsequently catch it and therefore miss school. Ask them to think carefully about whether this is likely to put immunocompromised people at risk as this will also be their responsibility.

Ridiculous and I work in a school
office. Write to the headteacher and ask for a copy of the attendance policy.

This. Stop humouring these weirdos. They have no authority.

You could absolutely go to court if you refused to pay the fine. Which I, personally, would, because illness is a statutory defence.

You only need 10 unauthorised absences to trigger a potential fine, and keep in mind that ten equates to five school days because of how attendance is measured.

My little boy got chicken pox two days before we were due to go on holiday. I had to cancel and to claim on the insurance I had to get proof from the doctors. I just sent photos through the online form explaining the situation and a day later I received an email confirmation from a doctor stating it was that.

When my daughter had it though we just phoned the school and told them. No other questions. She was off a full week. So your school is out of line!

I would send her in. With a note to say good luck when the whole class are off and you have parents complaining

Because medical absences should be authorised.
Unauthorized could lead to fines (who has extra cash to throw away), legal action, and impact parents work due to impacts on CRB checks and imprisonment

So for families will children with medical needs or SEN needs which regularly impact attendance this is particularly concerning as no matter what the school threatens they can't just make the child healthy or not disabled (although, we all wish we could)
This group of people are always much more targeted by stupid schools

Tell them to (politely) chuff off.

https://notfineinschool.co.uk/home/f/is-medical-evidence-required-to-authorise-every-school-absence

From Department of Education guidance:

Code I: illness (not medical or dental appointments)
Schools should advise parents to notify them on the first day the child is unable to attend due to illness. Schools should authorise absences due to illness unless they have genuine cause for concern about the veracity of an illness. If the authenticity of illness is in doubt, schools can request parents to provide medical evidence to support illness.
Schools can record the absence as unauthorised if not satisfied of the authenticity of the illness but should advise parents of their intention. Schools are advised not to request medical evidence unnecessarily. Medical evidence can take the form of prescriptions, appointment cards, etc. rather than doctors’ notes.

220. In the majority of cases a parent’s notification that their child is ill can be accepted without question or concern. Schools should not routinely request that parents provide medical evidence to support illness. Schools are advised not to request medical evidence unnecessarily as it places additional pressure on health professionals, their staff and their appointments system particularly if the illness is one that does not require treatment by a health professional. Only where the school has a genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the illness should medical evidence be requested to support the absence.

Send her in to school. Wait outside. Let them deal with it and the consequences.

When I was seven with chickenpox I had a rare complication and was in hospital for two weeks, missed the end of term, was ill the entire school holidays and missed the first term of school. I caught it because someone came into school still infectious. School sent work home for me to complete once term started again so I wouldn't get too behind. If that happened at any other point in the school year I'd have missed a lot more of school.

Glad this was in 1983 when schools didn't lose their minds about sickness absence. Secondary schools should be more careful if anything with chickenpox as it can be more serious the older you are.

Well yes. But people do just pay the fine because those targeted often have children with medical need, disabilities or SEN
These are the families already broken by the system and often they are too exhausted to take in even more stress

The LA often break the laws and they never get punished.
This is done in so many ways - where families have to find the time to prepare a case and fund court action. The LA will have this funded and so it makes no odds if they lose because by taking this action some families will just pay so they get that money. Others that fight may be legally in the right but not prepared strong cases meaning the LA still wins. Those who have prepared strong cases and win in court will.avoid the fine but the LA don't face any a
Consequences and can put the family through the same process again the next time the child is ill.

Sick system.

Write to the chair of governors and cc in the headteacher. Ask where, in legislation, you can find the justification for this request. Ask to see where in school policy this is specifically mentioned for a child with 97% attendance. And, while you are at it, ask why, when the school sent her home and they had physical evidence of her illness, it was recorded as unauthorised, and demand this is changed. I’ve worked in schools most of my career but left for these very issues which started with academisation. Threaten to bring in your infectious daughter so the SLT can see for themselves and suggest this might lead to more absences from the school. I’d remind them that the NHS has limited resources and needs to prioritise cases and it is not its job to provide evidence when common sense covers such issues.
if all else fails, go to your MP and ask she/him to publicise what state schools now do because they have to meet attendance targets for OFSTED.

This is just crying out for an investigation by Dispatches or Panorama

I am afraid that @Scamworried is incorrect, medical absences do not have to be authorised, this is a school not a place of work, for a child. As long as the parents/carers notify the school, that is sufficient, any other request is a local request and is not supported by DfE directives. Schools might request a daily update, this is usually done for safeguarding reasons after a number of cases back in the 1990s when schools failed to chase up absences and deaths had occurred.

Some schools might request appointment cards or letters but there is no necessity to share or show, should you not wish.

Just do it through an online doctor that gives you certificate by uploading a photo. I had to get travel certificate to allow my son to fly and it was very straight forward.

We moved to the US last year and for my children to attend school, they either had to have the titre or the vaccinations.

Rather interestingly, the doctor also didn’t believe that my children had definitely had chickenpox. I don’t mean from a having to prove it perspective, because we were going to have to do that anyway, but that he didn’t believe that parents could accurately identify it in the UK. Even though we’ve probably seen it countless more times than he ever has, which is likely to be vanishing little, if never.

I’d take a photo of her with today’s newspaper.I would buy one. I would send it, then make a formal complaint to the school, I’d explain that they might want to reconsider their approach to proof of illness.

The school sounds ridiculous. I know they need letters for appointments due to Ofsted, however I don't see why they need evidence. I would ask the doctors for a letter or maybe self cert, that should be enough evidence.
I'd also write na email of complaint to the head and potentially take it further.

They were prepared to accept the GP ticking the box on the health questionaire, but not our word for it even though she has a CP scar on her face!

I find this totally bizarre. If ds is ill, I phone the school office, tell them he was ill, end of conversation. I don't need their authorisation. I am the parent, the primary carer, and if I judge he is too ill to go to school, that is all that matters.

I wouldn't even countenance a conversation. I've done my bit, let them know. I'd just hang up.

When my child was at school I went into the Headmistress office to complain because my daughter had been sent home and when I went in to collect her the school matron shouted out across a hall full of people that ; " Your daughter has XXXXXXXXX and is ready to go home : I was livid because it breeches her privacy laws.