Aibu to be pissed off school trying to dictate which immunisations I give my child?

[TellMeHowToLiveMyLife]

I'm getting ds1 the chickenpox vaccine. Simply because I can afford it, he's the only one in his class that hasn't yet had chickenpox and I know he'll inevitably catch it just as we're about to go abroad.

Told receptionist I'd be picking him up at 2 tomorrow as he has injection booked. She asks for an appointment card or text proving this. I don't have one and tell her so. She then states its school policy if having private treatment to have a referral letter from an NHS GP or it won't be considered necessary treatment and he'll be marked as having an unauthorised absence. I just did a face and said ok he'll have an unauthorised absence then.

Aibu to think this is fucking ridiculous? He's having 80 minutes off school to have an injection which will almost certainly mean he doesn't have to have a week off school in the future. He's also 4 so not even compulsory school age and has had a total of 2 days off ill since starting school in Sept (which they wanted a gp note for).

Would I be unreasonable to write complaining how bonkers this is?

I'd ask the school why they need proof for private treatment but not NHS!

I'd love to hear the answer to that one!!!

I don't think schools wanting to know why children are going to miss some school time is unreasonable really.

Of course that isn't unreasonable. But OP has told the school why her DS needs to leave at 2pm, and they've asked for proof. That's annoying.

I don't think it's unreasonable (although it's pushing it in my opinion) for the school to want proof of a legitimate appointment - however as most appointments are made by phone, it would be more reasonable to say that a note of some sort confirming that a medical appointment took place upon the child returning to school should suffice.

The bit that bothers me is the NHS referral. Unless the child has a condition that may/will affect him/her at school, then the child's medical records and reason for attending the doctor is surely not the school's business, and whether the child is having NHS or private treatment is none of the school's business either.

Provide the school with something that verifies your child had a legitimate doctor's appointment and ask that your child's record be rectified accordingly. If they ask for details of what it was for, say that is private and there is no legitimate medical reason for them to know.

Are you just trying to ring the bell for the anti-vaxxers with the misleading title? Its not about the vaccination at all, and you know it.

Just tell the school that you, not they, decide where and when your child goes anywhere. Job done.

It did sound from the OP that they would have been happy if there was just a text confirmation for the appointment though. The referral thing sounds like a red herring to me

They are dictating because the OP has a private appointment and the school will only accept the absence with an NHS referral. Therefore any treatment that someone chooses to go private for will be unauthorized.

Why would they push the NHS thing? What about families who only use private healthcare and never have NHS appointments?

I have to show my manager my appointment letters as proof, so I have no problem showing my DS' appointment letters to school. However, they are ospital letters, which are far more likely to dictate to you when you come to them, whereas things like GP, Dentist and private appointments are generally expected to be arranged outside of work/school hours.

Get a note on their headed paper to confirm you attended. You do not need to prove an NHS referral - some people don't use the NHS for anything and don't even have NHS GPs - school can't dictate that.

YABU with your title though, don't be goady.

Surely at 2pm he will have already been registered for the afternoon, and he's below CSA. Bonkers.

Tell the school receptionist (or whoever told you this) to call the "sickness/sits code gurus" she needs to learn what an unauthorized absence is.

He's not of compulsory school age, so he can cannot get marked as unauthorized.

The thing about NHS referrals being needed to prove the treatment is necessary is 100% bonkers.

Better tell that to my colleague who had a double mastectomy due to breast cancer privately. Maybe her cancer didn't really need treating Or my dad, who could barely walk, and had both his hips replaced privately.

Also a fallacy that you can arrange private appts whenever. If it is a private clinic that does their CP vaccines on a Weds (or whatever) and that is the only slot they have for x weeks, then you don't have much choice. I looked into the meningitis vaccine through Boots and there is a huge waiting list, and if you don't accept the appt they give you, you get bumped down the queue.