To think school sickness policy is a ludicrous?

[Pinkvoid]

The same school that have ‘attendance awards’, are always hammering hard to parents about attendance and leave a comment in every school report about your child’s attendance, despite the fact they were off for things that couldn’t be helped such as chicken pox .

I missed a days work yesterday because DS (7) had been sick once the evening before, most likely caused by overeating but I erred on the side of caution. Explained this to the school when I called. He was fine all day yesterday so I sent him in today because why wouldn’t I.

I was already half way to work when I got a phone call telling me to collect him because it was ‘school policy’ that it had to be 48 hours from the last time they vomited. I was pretty furious tbh. Explained that I was two miles away on my way to work which I was due to start in fifteen minutes, I didn’t have anyone else to collect him and that he was absolutely fine/it wasn’t a stomach bug because he’d only been sick once and wasn’t unwell after- it was clearly either overeating or he’d probably been jumping around too much after eating. They weren’t accepting it, insisted I had to collect him and that he couldn’t be in school. So I had to turn around, call in sick at work last minute which they obviously weren’t pleased about and take him home. DS was also upset because he actually loves school and would much prefer to be there than at home bored with me...

AIBU to think they’re being ludicrously over cautious there and common sense should surely prevail? He’s now missed two days of education and I’ve missed two days pay because he vomited once, two nights ago . Also worth noting, I had no idea the school even had a policy, this is the first I’ve heard of it.

I don’t know how they can have it both ways, though - insist on attendance all the time but also demand 48 hour rule always be imposed

That arguement only works if you have one child in a school. The 48 hours is guidance from Public Health England to avoid the spread of infection. So, one child has 48 hours off and therefore does not pass the infection on to the other 29 children (as an example) in the class. Make sense now?

It’s simple maths. Assuming a class of 30 children:

1 child off for 48 hours = 98.67% attendance for the class.

4 children off for 48 hours and 1 for 24 hours (because he came back to school early while infectious) = 94% attendance for the class.

I also hate attendance awards for the same reason I hate flouting the 48 hour rule. Neither has a positive effect.

You kept him after an illness, and didn't expose his classmates to it. Sounds fine to me.

Yanbu. Same happened to us. Son was fine and bouncing off the walls for two days at home! Had eaten too much

YABU!

There are schools who currently had to close for a day or 2 because of sickness bugs bringing everybody to their knees, pupils and teachers alike.

Attendance award are a disgrace, and head teacher should have a lot more power and leave-way about attendance, and Ofsted should get off their back when there are genuine reasons.

But YABU for being one of these parents who disregard the sickness policy! If everybody was respecting the 48h rule, it would ease off the spread of the sickness bug.

Yanbu to be pissed off that School will harp on about his attendance. Perhaps ask what their suggestions are for keeping highly contagious illnesses at bay are, given you are (now) following School policy and yet they are complaining about something you cannot control.

It is basically down to luck whether a child gets ill or not most of the time. Dd escaped 2 bouts of chicken pox that hit her Preschool class. Yet the term she started reception, Ds1 brought it home from Preschool and she plus baby twins caught it too.

I've had the child who has vomited once and then been fine for the next 24 hours but been sick again then, and also been sick once in the 48 hours period. It is frustrating but I would sooner that my ill once child was off than pass a potential bug around or also, if they have been hit by a mild one that has only lasted 24 hours, be apparently well after 24 hours but upon returning to School slightly less immune, getting hit by another bug while they're still recovering from the first one because someone else decided the 48 hour rule was merely a suggestion.

It's unlikely it was a bug if he was only sick once and was fine afterwards. A bit of common sense and weighing up the risks is surely the way forward rather than hard and fast rules?

Thank you for the maths lesson MovingOn As a well-educated teacher and as a parent I am well aware of how it works for the many. What I disapprove of regardless is the constant droning on about the importance of attendance, suggestion that those who miss days will do poorly in GCSEs (which will only happen with significant absence) and the rewarding of people who are fortunate enough not to be ill (frankly the school should find another way to reward these pupils if as a PP said, the only notice that is ever taken of some is an award for attendance. There’s always something remarkable and positive to find in any child but not being ill is not one of them). It seems we are in agreement on some of this but no need to patronise me.

The rule is there for a reason. once one person considers themselves exempt then two people do, then three and so on. It's just not worth the risk to everyone to let kids back to school before the 48 hours is up.

Attendance awards are lazy imo. The only schools I worked in that valued them were ones who couldn't think of another way to make their hard-working, but not sporty or top of the class kids feel valued. The best schools were ones with award ceremonies, but no attendance awards. They needed a bit of thought and effort.

A lot of parents seem to think their child has vomitted bc they have eaten too much. One mother I know said this about her dd and I said it could be a tummy bug, and within a couple days her whole family got it. She ignored the 48 hours rule sent her kids in...and more then half the class caught it and many in different classes, I just know the details of my dd class...including my dd getting sick. I was furious at the mom for sending her children to school too soon and spreading it to everyone else. So selfish.

My son was sick in school because another boy had stepped in dogs mess. He has a really weak stomach and a heightened sense of smell. The school knew this but he was still off for 48hrs

Surely you can tell the school that you've considered their recommendation but no, you won't be collecting him?
What can they do?

Oh give over ScipioAfricanus it’s not patronising to use a worked example to prove a point is incorrect.

How sensitive are you?!

My dd is so poorly right now for the second time in a month with d&v
And it’s because unlike me, people send their kids in when they are unwell or before the 48hours.

Kids in her class have been passing out, being sick all over the class etc.

And I know people send them back because they haven’t got child care or their work will be mad. But it’s a vicious circle!

My cousin sent her son in the day after he was sick and when he had upset stomach for a whole week. It’s just selfish

In your situation if you are sure it’s just overeating then I understand your frustration but the school doesn’t know you weren’t just playing it down like others do.

You can also give over, MovingOn. I’m not overly sensitive, but I object to what I’ve said being misinterpreted. Well done on being so clever!

My point is that the school insist on the individual parent both keeping the child at home for 48 hours and being responsible for any absence which goes above their pointlessly high figure. The fact that this benefits the attendance figures of the class as a whole is irrelevant to the inconsistencies in their demand on the parent. Make sense now?

This annoys me a lot. I know schools are under pressure to get attendance rates up, but sending threatening letters when kids attendance drops a little bit is silly. And no doctor will give a sick note for every illness. Our GP tells us not to go in with bugs at all, as they are so easily spread.

Not sure how I did this, had another schools thread in the background and managed to reply on the wrong one. Sorry, ignore my post

One of the classes in our school is 50% empty today because of a sickness bug. It does help if pupils are off for 48 hours.

However, Ofsted need to stop with their blanket attitude towards attendance which ends up with schools punishing children for simply being unhealthy. Instead, they should judge schools on how they deal with the persistent absences that are not due to health. All schools know which families these are and no promise of a certificate in assembly is going to help with getting these children into school.

I realise this isn’t the point of the thread OP, but I presume you didn’t actually call in sick at work since you weren’t sick?

This is the time of year for vomiting bugs and there's one going round here at the moment, causing problems in schools and hospitals (ward closures). Last year, the local primary had to be closed for a deep clean because so many children and then teachers were getting sick. Part of the problem was parents wanting to get back to work and lying about when their children had last been sick, then sending them in only to vomit on the carpet at school halfway through the morning... As vomiting bugs are extremely contagious, especially where young children and their poor handwashing and nose blowing standards are involved, it is only right that at a time when it is known there are vomiting bugs going around that parents do not take risks with other people's health by sending their children back to school before the 48-hours advised by the NHS have been complied with.

Sickness policy is 48hours, you should have kept him off for 48 hours.

Shouldn't you know the school's sickness policy if your child goes there? Even if you don't agree with it, you should make yourself aware of it when your child is sick. I'm guessing it would be on their website somewhere.

A school inscotland has also had to close its doors due to a sickness bug.

I’m glad the school has stuck by the policy given the seriousness of how fast sickness bugs can spread, and how serious they can be for compromised immune children also.

www.google.co.uk/amp/www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/highland-school-forced-close-after-11559850.amp