to think the Education Welfare Officer asking for an GP appoinment card every time dd has a virus is unrealistic, when GP has just said I am wasting their time.

[piratecat]

Where do I go from here.

The EWO has to do their job, i have to prove dd was unwell so as not to get an unauthorised absence mark.

Yes dd has had alot of other health issues, hospital appointments etc, which are easy to 'prove' as such. Yet the EWO as i said wants a copy of an appointment card, for any time off.

I took dd to gp today, as today is the day dd is ill. Lucky i got an appointment, but the GP on duty is now going to speak to my actual gp, to sort this out. I have also requested for a phone call from our gp when she does her phonecalls tomorrow afternoon.

Last time i spoke to my actual gp, she said they can't write notes for kids, fair enough, totally correct when it comes to bugs.

Duty doctor said i was wasting his time bringing dd in, just to say look she has a virus.
I agree, and would not have bothered him today.
I feel torn really, and the system is just not working.

rant rant rant.

Typing with left hand sorry for typos :)

Maddy you've missed the point that this is completely unrelated to the previous health issues. It is possible for a child with problem A to get a virus which does not have any bearing on problem A therefore doesn't need a gp visit

My child has long term on going chronic illness and no social services input us required. You are talking rubbish. Schools should not have kids in spreading bugs.

It,s for a campaign on this. I can,t believe how stressed and frustrated (GPs and parents).

My heart goes out to you, ridiculous, it would be funny in a Kafka/Monty phython way.Only it,s not.

The Nhs is under enough pressure, as are parents. Its creating bad feeling and a climate of fear/anger between schools and parents.

Social services won't necessarily be involved at all, just because a child has an ongoing health issue.

They are already aware of the situation. The virus the child has had recently is nothing to do with the long term issue. It isn't an unauthorised absence and so the EWO needs to back off and deal with real problem attenders instead of hassling the OP.

I had to see the EWO because DS2 had bloody flu, and was off for 5.5 school days, 11 half day 'sessions'. THEY bloody sent him home the first day!

I was told that if his attendance drops ANY further, I will get a fine. Because he had bloody FLU! No , I didn't take hi. To the GP, I took advice from the pharmacist, because what can the GP do for an otherwise fit 11yo who has flu?!

Basically after 12-ish, you need to get your DC's permission as well as your own to share their medical records.

I had EWO on my case last year when my DS2 was recovering from an emergency appendectomy FFS. They wanted him in school just 2.5 days after he had had major abdominal surgery. He was only just coming home for bloody bed rest!!

I should have said may be involved.

If she has had a lot of absence SSS may be involved anyway as it can be a symptom of something else.
Ie abuse (keing off school while injuries heal)
Neglect, (parent cba getting out of bed to take kids to school)
Etc etc

Essex is notoriously bad for this. In my older DC's Secondary, they expect attendance to be above 95%. They're going to have a shit fit when DS2 gets there...he's got multiple chronic health conditions, and averages 88% - 90% attendance over the year at best. Without including his many appointments...

And it was my DS1 that had the appendectomy. Bloody fat fingers!

I'd put money on maddy being one of those really, really difficult school secretaries/receptionists that so many parents on here seem to have trouble with...

maddy you are not reading (or perhaps understanding) the thread!

Maddy of course absence can be indicator of other issues but every single parent on this thread is saying that there were simply health issues ie physical illnesses and we are being hounded instead of focussing on kids who are genuinely at risk. So many children on here, it has to be a national disgrace and yes we should have a campaign against it. My letter about prosecution was received the day my child was admitted to hospital

Social services will not be interested in a child who catches every bug going, believe me! Some kids are susceptible to bugs, it does not mean they have a disorder of the immune system.

maddy68

It is possible for a child to be frequently off school for appts to do with a physical disability. This does not mean that they won't catch a bug, which may have nothing to do with the other health issues.

And writing with a couple of people in mind, it is entirely possible for an EWO to be a bloody jobsworth who is dismissive of anything a parent says, and who proceeds to start issuing letters about fines even though that parent is fully compliant with school policies. IE 48 hour rule, etc, for bugs and plenty of appt cards for the other issues.