To be angry at Children Sick Notes

[Manclife]

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?

You are not entitled to make or enforce such a requirement which is, in any case, boneheaded and fatuous.
Schools are not entitled and cannot force you to provide medical evidence. They can however, state that without evidence the absence will be unauthorised and request a penalty notice be issued. The responsibility lies with the parent to prove the child was unwell.
So, you can refuse and your GP can refuse but you could still be fined.

(Not saying this is right or wrong, just factual)

But this is the issue I foresee. Child is off with Chicken Pox and as it's straight forward parents don't take child to doctors, nonneed for appointment and no need for prescription. Child then goes back to school and they ask for evidence. Parents are screwed.

One off chickenpox episode isn't an issue in isolation. Episode of chickenpox plus other regular absences/other indicators that suggest it might be a holiday could be.

I don't think that's right ASauvingnonADay - the guidance clearly states:

"Schools should authorise absences due to illness unless they have genuine cause for concern about the veracity of an illness."

The onus is on the parent to report the reason for the absence, then on the school to mark the absence as authorised unless they have a "genuine concern". It is only where there is a "genuine concern" that the school can require anything further and only then is it the responsibility of the parent to provide any proof.

Schools don't want a ton of unauthorised abscences any more than they want a ton of authorised ones. In fact, wouldn't a ton of unauthorised ones look worse for them?

I think this is - at least partly - bluster.

And maybe a self-important bullying HT

Sicknotes are for adults, so employers can pay SSP, not for children. Parents' notes should be evidence enough. It should be up to a school to provide evidence that a child is NOT sick - innocent until proven guilty etc

Child is off with Chicken Pox and as it's straight forward parents don't take child to doctors,
If the school requires proof, then send the child with chickenpox in. They can spread it to the whole class. The school will then have their evidence

"Medical evidence" you say 🤔 - I'd be tempted to send in a ziplock bag of sick and/or diarrhoea... but that might just be me 😈

My DDs High school tried to implement this too. I said I wouldn't engage in putting a very stressed health system under more pressure.

They never pushed beyond the standard absence text.

@missedith01 but it doesn't specify what 'genuine concern' means and this is open to interpretation.

As a teacher who is immunocompromised I would be really angry if a child was sent in with chicken pox to prove a point. I have to chat to them (they are older children) and talk about what illnesses would be serious for me if I was around them.

Unfortunately some parents DO lie

And the majority don't. So deal with the ones who do, and be reasonable with the majority who don't.

Anyway, as people have mentioned several times, you can't get a GP's appointment that easily anyway. The second to last time I looked at my GP's website there weren't even any book ahead appointments.

I would be really angry if a child was sent in with chicken pox to prove a point
Angry with your headteacher, I hope, for causing a parent to believe they need to send such a child in?

Angry with both to be honest. And generally as a teacher these ridiculous rules come from on high....

True, is doesn't specify what it is, but it clearly means SOMETHING. It appears from the OP that the head is asking for medical evidence to be supplied routinely. If everyone has to supply it, then requests can't have been limited to those absences which cause genuine concern. In effect the head has fettered their own discretion because they've been given the power to assess each case on an individual basis but are declining so to do.

I was once put in a position by Penny Fucking Disney (attendance officer) where I was threatened with a fine if I dind't provide a doctor's note for every absense. So I sent a voomitting 12 year old to school.

When they rang me 40 minutes later, I explained thatas I have had my parental authority stripped by Penny Fucking Disney, I was not longer considered capable of making basic parenting decisions, so they had to make them for me.

this was not a situation of my doing. I don't have £60 knocking around. I'm sorry I probably gave everyone in a 500 metre radius a sick bug. Given a choice, I'd have kept him off. I wasn't given a choice.