Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

anyone else fed up of new school absence rules

42 replies

wonderwall1 · 17/12/2015 11:56

Has anyone else had this increasing pressure from schools since Sept to send ill kids in due to new Govt regs? DD school now keeps calpol in the office to give to children with temp and pain so they can be kept at school. I wondered why there was a space on the medical form to give permission.

OP posts:
StillStayingClassySanDiego · 17/12/2015 11:59

Really?

I work in a school, we're only allowed to give prescribed medication.

Original poster
wonderwall1 · 17/12/2015 12:01

It's a secondary school and it's what DD and other children has been told if she feels unwell.

OP posts:
Original poster
wonderwall1 · 17/12/2015 12:03

I've noticed on the internet that quite a few schools have introduced a new policy since Sept to give Calpol as long as they call the parent first.

OP posts:
StillStayingClassySanDiego · 17/12/2015 12:04

It's not really on for schools [secondary or otherwise] to be dishing out medication.

Have you Parents received a letter seeking permission for your dc's to be given paracetamol?

DonkeyOaty · 17/12/2015 12:05

Nope no meds held at at the secondary my sprogs go to. That's very odd.

Worth checking whether what the children were told against what they've inferred.

PennyHasNoSurname · 17/12/2015 12:05

Personally I agree with schools issuing a dose of Calpol for someone feeling a little under the weather. If the Calpol works then they arent so ill that they need to be at home, and if the Calpol doesnt work then send them home - no loss.

Calpol doesnt need to be prescribed so seems fine to give doses (as long as they are recorded).

If Im at work and feel a little unwell I would try pain releife before going home, so I dont see the problem with my kids doing the same.

DonkeyOaty · 17/12/2015 12:06

Superfluous "whether" please ignore Blush

DangerMouth · 17/12/2015 12:06

It's madness. Forcing children to attend school when unwell is not going to help their education Confused

The school system in England sucks.

Seeline · 17/12/2015 12:06

Both my DCs secondaries give Calpol, but I wondered whether it was because they were private so different rules may apply (both have qualified nurses). I think it can work quite well, if eg the child has a headache. If that can be stopped, then there is probably no other reason for the child to come home. My Ds was poorly and given calpol, but after a while there was no real improvement so I was called to collect him - seemed sensible to me.

YoureAllABunchOfBastards · 17/12/2015 12:09

We are not allowed to give meds - secondary school. We have to call parent in to administer tablets - so if your child is ill, you can bring them paracetamol but you have to hand them to your child and watch them take them. We can't even hand them over on your behalf.

AuntieStella · 17/12/2015 12:10

No.

No apparent pressure nor any noticeable change to medical arrangements.

redstrawberry10 · 17/12/2015 12:13

The school system in England sucks.

it's easier to meet meaningless attendance targets than make changes that really make a difference.

Of course, these ill children will spread their colds to all their friends and teachers. lovely.

schokolade · 17/12/2015 12:15

So what happens if your DC is given calpol then - do you get some sort of notification of how much/when? Or is it up to DC to remember when it's safe to take the next one at home?

EponasWildDaughter · 17/12/2015 12:16

Never heard of this before. Must be very new. Older DDs were never allowed meds from school.

Good or bad? I'm on the fence. DD3 has begged school reception for an ibru. tablet for her period pain in the past, to no avail, and has ended up having to come home.

If parental permission has been given previously then it would be nice to think a pupil could go to the office/nurse ask for something to relieve a minor headache, for eg.

However, i can envisage doses of calpol being dished out in order to protect att. levels rather than for the actual benefit of the pupil in each case.

CrayonShavings · 17/12/2015 12:17

Surely they only need to be there for morning register to count towards attendance records?

EponasWildDaughter · 17/12/2015 12:17

do you get some sort of notification of how much/when? Or is it up to DC to remember

this too, yes.

Apathyisthenewblah · 17/12/2015 12:25

Our nursery give the DCs calpol with parental permission and if it isn't effective they come home. I can't see why it would work differently in a school?

PurpleGreenAvocado · 17/12/2015 12:25

From the December 2015 school guidelines:

no child under 16 should be given prescription or non-prescription medicines
without their parent’s written consent – except in exceptional circumstances
where the medicine has been prescribed to the child without the knowledge of
the parents. In such cases, every effort should be made to encourage the
child or young person to involve their parents while respecting their right to
confidentiality. Schools should set out the circumstances in which nonprescription
medicines may be administered

a child under 16 should never be given medicine containing aspirin unless
prescribed by a doctor. Medication, e.g. for pain relief, should never be
administered without first checking maximum dosages and when the previous
dose was taken. Parents should be informed

writingonthewall · 17/12/2015 12:29

Do we want kids staying off school every time they have a cold? Growing up into adults who stay home from work at the first sign of a sniffle? Obviously they shouldn't be in with proper flu, but a child with a bit of a cold can surely go to school.

ghostspirit · 17/12/2015 12:32

at my childs secondry school they are not allowed to give out calpol/paracetamol. but kids are allowed to take them to school and take them their selfs. my son some times get a painful back. i let him take 2 paracetamol with him to school incase.

if school did do that it would have to be made clear of when it was given and how much. kids/teens are not always clear. what if i gave my son 2 paracetamol at 8am. and he gets to school and they give him some a 9am. yeah son should say i had some not long ago. but as said kids/teens are not always reliable.

i have to tell my son you dont take pain killers the min you have pain. you should maybe rest a bit/have a bath see if it gos away. and only take pain killers if its not gone for a while.

DangerMouth · 17/12/2015 12:32

Yes but do you think writing the parents might be the ones allowed to make this call?? School seems to be slowly trying to take over parental responsibility.

ginnybag · 17/12/2015 12:33

I'd have no issue with it if someone rang me first, in KS1, and if they let me know after, in KS2.

By secondary, I'll be giving DD the paracetamol to keep in her bag

Anotherusername1 · 17/12/2015 12:33

If I have a bit of a headache/cold I will take something for it. It would have to quite bad for me to go home early from work or not go to work at all. I can't really see the difference with schools. If a kid has a cold, all they might need is a dose of Calpol to get them through the school day. I don't see the issue as long as parents have consented.

Most schools have an afternoon attendance register. Tomorrow, many of them will mark their pupils present at about 1pm and send them home immediately afterwards so that the teachers can tidy their classrooms.

honkinghaddock · 17/12/2015 12:40

Ds's school (independent special) give out calpol and some other medicines. You fill in a form saying which they are allowed at the start of each year. They have there own nurse though. at his mainstream primary they could only have calpol if it was prescribed.

Mistigri · 17/12/2015 12:40

My daughter is in a very large secondary school with a full-time school nurse who can dispense painkillers if necessary. She generally has a packet of ibuprofen in her bag though.

Fortunately there is no silliness about absence here, as long as it's authorised by parents (and backed up by medical evidence if long-term). My DD has been unwell recently and has had a few days and half days off, the school are fine with it as long as we keep them informed.