Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To be angry at Children Sick Notes

167 replies

Manclife · 10/09/2017 18:09

DC school has a new head teacher who is laying down the law. Amongst other things they're insisting parents get medical evidence when children are off sick. A quick search online shows most Drs either won't do it or charge for the letter. Also most minor children's ailments don't require medical intervention in the first place so there would be no record. AIBU to be angry that just to appease a head teacher I've got to tie up NHS resources? Has anyone challenged this successfully?

OP posts:
MaisyPops · 10/09/2017 21:17

Oh sadly times have changed.
There's a huge amount if pressure to cut absences.
90% attendance is one day off a fortnight (so contrary to the smug git who went to the high court, it's not good attendance).

Equally, there seems to be a culture of some parents keeping kids off for no reason at all.

Not excusing the barmy response in thr OP but I can see why we are there.

toostressy I'm not sure what you can do if I'm honest.
As a form tutor I enforce our (sensible) abence procedure to the letter. We have a head of year for eaxh year and an attendance manager who is excellent. We tend to work on the view that by identifying patterns of absence you can quickly tell who is real. E.g. i can tell you one of my tutor group will always miss the first or last day of term.

If there were outrageous policies that couldn't be enforced, i would probably request a dr note then email the person above me saying 'ive requested a note but it's your problem now'. Grin keep passing it upwards until SLT get so annoyed dealing with it they rethink.

Winebomb · 10/09/2017 21:27

I had to spend 3 hours on the walk-in centre on Friday because my doctors couldn't fit me in for a routine bandage dressing for 2 weeks.. (I chopped the top of my finger off).

If every school child who went to the doctors with a bad cold and a fever rocked up at the GPs, Jesus the genuine patients would have literally no chance. Instead of an ok chance.

Tell the head to fuck off.

In a job you can self certify for up to a week. I was already foaming at the mouth when I went to a&e (when my finger tip was cut off and blood was outing everywhere) listening to patients moan about docking spots on their bum and itchy fucking eyes..

Winebomb · 10/09/2017 21:28

Docking = fucking

wannabestressfree · 10/09/2017 21:33

@TooStressyForMyOwnGood there are lots of things I disagree with. I just think it's the best secondary in the area and I try and be lenient about things I feel strongly about.

It's the lack of singing from the same hymn sheet I despise. We are warned strongly about keeping to the rules and that means challenging difficult children and families. Sometimes they are sent to certain members of slt and they let them off infraction e.g. Trainers. I then look like a knob and the child has the arse. I HATE that.

The other thing is that things can just 'snap' change. If you like the school grit your teeth and stick it out. Things change year to year.

TooStressyForMyOwnGood · 10/09/2017 21:36

Thanks both, doesn't fill me with hope for secondary school but do appreciate honest replies!

ALittleMop · 10/09/2017 21:38

Schools are under the cosh I know and are set frankly unachievable attendance targets (especially when there are children, as at the school my kids go to, who have long term and chronic conditions requiring lots of abscence).

Your HT is out of order. I'd just refuse. I hardly think they will be keen to build up a huge amount of unauthorised absences from kids without sicknotes. I'd possibly send them a snotty email too. This kind of crap really breaks down the parent school relationship. The HT is saying here that parents are untrustworthy/show poor judgement. Not a good start.

MaisyPops · 10/09/2017 22:02

ALittleMop It seems a bit sledgehammer to crack a nut to me.

Unfortunately there are parents who do have questionable judgement.
E.g. i can think of dozens and dozens of cases.

Really there should be a way to clamp down on those people without going over the top, but no school has a perfect solution.

Didactylos · 10/09/2017 22:08

Speak to your GP receptionist and pass on a message explaining what has been requested of you (no need to use up an appointment)
GPs are very used to bouncing back requests like this and the practice may write to both the individual school/head and local educational authority restating agreed the rules around parental sickness certification.

Fresh8008 · 10/09/2017 22:15

What can a school do if your off for a day. Schools cant issue fines.

Sara107 · 10/09/2017 22:21

The NHS is always asking people to please not go to the Dr if you have a sickness bug (which must be one of the main reasons for keeping kids off school). So I should think local gps will be mighty fed up if their surgeries are suddenly full of vomitting children asking for their letter for school!

wheredoesallthetimego · 10/09/2017 22:21

we do the same phone triage system as above and I always tell parents that we don't do such letters - that if the head wants to write, with the written consent, we will do a letter saying that they phoned and the school will have to pay for it.

MaisyPops · 10/09/2017 22:26

fresh
An odd day, no.

But attendance issues occur when someone is off repeatedly taking odd days. Unauthorised absences can go to attendance meeting, governor panel and court where fines can be issued.

JohnHunter · 10/09/2017 22:32

"GANFYD" ("Get A Note From Your Doctor") has become a standard acronym in general practice. It has become fashionable for every organisation (schools, courts, employers, insurance companies, recreational activities [gyms, sky diving, etc]) to tell people that they need a note from their doctor. With the exception of the standard social security (Med3) notes, these are not NHS services and GPs are within their rights to refuse or charge a fee.

Your head teacher has simply not thought this through.

buttfacedmiscreant · 10/09/2017 22:32

"Dear HT, my GP confirmed that they don't write sick notes for routine illness. I can bring my vomiting child in so you can confirm that they are sick but I can't vouch that they might not vomit while there."

Wink
buttfacedmiscreant · 10/09/2017 22:35

(I had a HT say that my child couldn't go back after having lice until they had proof he had seen the doctor. The nurse eventually agreed to do a walk in and our doctor when she heard why and how I'd argued with the head she wrote them a blistering letter)

thatdearoctopus · 10/09/2017 22:36

And this is why teachers have lost respect.
It's not the teachers, ffs! We don't make the rules - in this case it seems to be the Head, but even s/he is driven by nonsense from ofsted and the Government.

It's not in the Head's interest to record illnesses as Unauthorised, as that is what gets flagged up to Ofsted. But I reckon it could be that the blanket, "we need a sick note" is to cover themselves to be able to insist on one when they know damn well a family is on holiday but can't prove it. I bet no one else is asked to follow through on it.

By the way, you can't be fined unless you've had 15 sessions of absence (which is 7.5 days) in any one term, and then only if all parents have been informed in writing that this is the policy.

BlackeyedSusan · 10/09/2017 22:52

we were very lucky and got a sick note from the hospital dr when ds had conjunctivitis and was off for 9 days of school. (dr offered)

I was not so impressed when I went to the Gp with dd showing the same symptoms and got asked why on earth I was there... erm... well ds started the same way and ened up needing two hospital appointemnts and there was a querey whether it had damaged his cornea... (disclaimer: or some other part of the front of the eye I can not remember the name off)

grr.

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 10/09/2017 22:54

This happened in my childrens school

We sent them an email about it

I can only assume that many other parents did the same as the school backed down and to my knowledge have never implemented it

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 10/09/2017 22:56

Oh and we did mention the 6 to 8 week waiting lists for appointments in our email

Stupid bloody idea

PurplePillowCase · 10/09/2017 22:57

In a job you can self certify for up to a week.

some employers require a dr note earlier. but they then reimburse the cost.

JonSnowsWife · 10/09/2017 22:59

It's a stupid rule, and all to appease Ofsted at how wonderful their attendance rates are. (I was once told the school has to have a 95% attendance rate for the school to get an outstanding grade). No idea if that is true or not but no GP is going to thank you for taking a vomity child in to their surgery. I'd tell them politely to 'go whistle'. DD has plenty of medical appointments. Her school is satisfied with me telling them when and where, then knowing she will be back after break etc etc.

BertieBotts · 10/09/2017 22:59

We have to do this in Germany - go to the doctor/drag DC to paediatrician just for a bad cold Confused in order to get a special sickness certificate which can be submitted to the employer and health insurer. It drives me bonkers and I had to ask "You want me to go to the doctor, with a cold? Are you sure??" about three times the first time to the long suffering receptionist at work who couldn't understand why I found this instruction so baffling, whereas I just couldn't comprehend spreading my germs among the old ladies and newborns down at the clinic for a couple of days off work in bed! Confused I was also convinced the GP would be annoyed that I was there but of course she wasn't because she is used to it being the way it works here. Actually it's quite nice because they write you a prescription for paracetamol and a little non-prescription note recommending use of cosy scarves and tea Grin

It's a pain, YANBU. School is being silly.

JonSnowsWife · 10/09/2017 23:03

90% attendance is one day off a fortnight (so contrary to the smug git who went to the high court, it's not good attendance).

He was a smug twat and it served him right he lost his case. Who pays out thousands and thousands in legal costs just to avoid a £60 fine?

Re the 90%. This will be DD. She has to go to the hospital once a fortnight. The clinic doesn't open at weekends so she will have to go in school time. I know that it's noted as authorised absences but I wish they would be some sort of separate more forgiving system for those with long term medical problems.

TrailingWife · 10/09/2017 23:06

What happens if you don't get a note? Your child has the flu, stays home to rest and get fluids and not infect others, they go back to school, and then....

what happens? They can never come back? You get a nasty gram from the school and throw it in the bin? What?

Rufustherenegadereindeer1 · 10/09/2017 23:07

jon

I agree, dd missed a number of registrations which were counted at whole session absences (bloody ridiculous)

She is going to miss a day this week due to ultrasound and braces (two different appointments , a further afternoon for braces

And a day or afternoon for a funeral

Her absence is going to look dreadful...at least before Christmas (when she is missing 1.5 days due to a jolly...that's completely our fault obviously)