Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

to keep my DC off school?

37 replies

pregnantpause · 12/03/2014 13:39

My dd has been vomiting for the last two days, only once or twice, but a day, and she is eating and drinking. I spent last week vomiting, so I know it's a bug. But the school have phoned to say that we'll be seeing the education welfare officer as it's now policy if they're off more than twice a year (chicken pox got us last term) my problem is that when they come they will find a happy laughing child playing in the garden. She is vomiting, but she's sick wipes it off and carries on. She's not 'unwell' just vomiting and a bit of runny poo. I am right to keep her off aren't I?

OP posts:
LookingThroughTheFog · 12/03/2014 13:40

PregnantPause, can you contact the school and ask them what their policy with V&D bugs is? Do they have the 48 hour rule? If so, which one of their rules would they like you to follow; send a vomming child in, or keep them off.

(Yes you are right to keep her off. They're being silly.)

harriet247 · 12/03/2014 13:40

Yanbu :)

MamaPain · 12/03/2014 13:41

Yes keep her off, do they have a D&V policy. Maybe keep a note of the times she is sick.

I'd be emailing them a picture of her next vomiting episode.

Manchesterhistorygirl · 12/03/2014 13:42

You are right to keep her off. School are being stupid.

throckenholt · 12/03/2014 13:42

You are right to keep her off. You know it is a bug because you had it first - so it is infectious. School rules usually say you have to keep them off 48 after a vomiting bug - no problem with welfare officer (surely they have better things to do than chase people who have chicken pox and sickness bugs ?!)

Kids are often ill - the welfare officers are going to be kept very busy.

MamaPain · 12/03/2014 13:42

Also I'd complain about this new policy. Twice in a term I'd accept but twice in a year, thats pretty average. Waste of time for the education welfare officer surely, don't they have more serious cases to tackle.

Original poster
pregnantpause · 12/03/2014 14:00

in fairness the receptionist sounded embarrassed.and was very apologetic- she confirmed the 48 hour rule, and reiterated it was policy and not suspicion. I am just worried that when they turn up, they'll think I'm having them on- it would almost be better if she were acting ill- I was struck down, no energy, sick sick. She's happy as Larry.

OP posts:
crazykat · 12/03/2014 14:03

Definitely keep her off.

Complain about the policy as well.

If you were keeping her off for every cough and sneeze but chicken pox and d&v require time off.

The EWO won't do anything as you have a valid reason for keeping her off school.

throckenholt · 12/03/2014 14:04

You have nothing to ashamged of. Your DD has been sick - you are keeping her off for 48 hours as per the rules. If she isn't actually throwing up at the time of a visit it isn't your fault. And kids are like that - ill one second and then running around the next (then ill again).

LiegeAndLief · 12/03/2014 14:06

Twice in a year?! The welfare officer is going to be busy, I think that would cover most children of school age!

TimeIsAnIllusion · 12/03/2014 14:06

In these instances is a parent legally obliged to invite the attendance officer into their home?

TimeIsAnIllusion · 12/03/2014 14:06

Sorry - the "welfare officer"?!

Nanny0gg · 12/03/2014 14:08

How on earth has your school/LA got enough money to waste spend on such a ridiculous initiative? Is it an academy?

And is the EWO coming to you? I'd be very loath to let her in (after all, you don't want her to catch the bug!).

Surely she/he should have far more important things to do? We couldn't get hold of ours when we needed her to visit families when we could never get their children in at all.

Martorana · 12/03/2014 14:10

Are you absolutely sure they are sending somebody round? Because I find it hard to believe they could make an EWO appointment at such short notice. Are you sure they didn't just say you'd be hearing from an EWO?

cory · 12/03/2014 14:13

I'd ring EWO. I have had a lot of problems like this, and have generally found EWO's far more helpful than school receptionists.

Lucylouby · 12/03/2014 14:14

Hopefully the EWO will be so busy coming to see families with poorly children they will miss out a couple of families who have taken their dc on holiday in term time. Ridiculous waste of someone's time. If i were an EWO, I wouldn't want to visit homes that had d and v cases in them.

BuzzardBird · 12/03/2014 14:16

If they are going to be knobbers I would send her in in future and they can

clean up the D&V! Twice in a year? Idiots.

BuzzardBird · 12/03/2014 14:18

...obviously, I don't mean the bit about sending her in, but you could threaten to.

Original poster
pregnantpause · 12/03/2014 14:29

hmm, I haven't been given an appointment, I presumed they'd just knock. She definitely said that the ewo would visit, as I phoned to say that she wouldn't be in for the rest of the week, she said the ewo will visit me 'at some point'. I only avoided the standard answering phone to ask if I should be going over anything specific with her, or pick up a new reading book. I should have just left a message. She's 5, so hardly missing anything essential.

OP posts:
DebbieOfMaddox · 12/03/2014 14:31

I would suspect that what they actually mean is "we will be referring you to the EWO" and they are omitting the second part of the sentence "who will look at the report, snort derisively and put it in the big round file in the corner".

If you are worried then call the EWO yourself -- I'm 95% certain they'll tell you not to be concerned.

Ilikepancakes · 12/03/2014 14:51

YANBU - vomiting bugs are very easily spread and are contagious up to 48 hours after the last bout of vomiting. You are doing the right thing keeping her off school. I don't think the EWO would think anything is wrong with having a well child at home if you said they have had a bug and you will take them back to school in a couple of days to avoid other children catching it.

Martorana · 12/03/2014 15:14

I honestly think this must be some sort of misunderstanding. There aren't enough EWO's in the country for them to visit every family where a child has had two illnesses a year!

cory · 12/03/2014 15:36

I suspect it's not so much a misunderstanding as a case of a school trying to use yet another unenforcable threat because they don't expect anyone to challenge them. Dd's school did it all the time. Call their bluff.

NigellasDealer · 12/03/2014 15:42

probably what debbie said, schools do not have the power to 'order' a home visit, they might refer it to the EWO and they then decide whether to follow it up.
if i were you i might think about phoning the EWO first and asking them to clarify the situation re d and v

Nocomet · 12/03/2014 16:00

Ignore.
Schools are being incredibly stupid, EWO haven't the time to sort out two absences a month never mind a year.

I had a massive row with the new medical officer, the attendance officer at school (big secondary) hasn't even bothered to ring, never mind the EWO.

She has the sense to know DDs get ill, start their periods and in DDs case have accidents and sometimes they time all these things in the same term.